Sunday Awe

I lay down and slept;
I woke again, for the Lord sustained me.

—Psalm 3:4-5

 This Sunday I was in need of sleep. I think I have worked too hard this past couple of weeks. I am tired constantly. I do know that my thyroid is out and that can contribute to the tiredness. One thing I remember as a kid was that after church my parents would come home and take a nap, this was more in my Jr. High and High School years since I went alone or just with my siblings in elementary..Like I was saying though you knew right after lunch they would nap. I think part of it was that they had a scheduled napping date. I used to think that was silly. Now that I am an adult, and also a parent, I totally get it! It is nice to nap in the middle of the day when your weeks seem busy forever. Its a great way to connect, get some rest and prepare for the start of your new week. Today we were blessed with some overcast weather and a few minor sprinkles of rain water. I love that because it means cooler temperatures.

Unless the Lord builds the house,
those who build it labor in vain.
Unless the Lord watches over the city,
the watchman stays awake in vain.
It is in vain that you rise up early
and go late to rest,
eating the bread of anxious toil;
for he gives to his beloved sleep. —Psalm 127:1-2

 This morning this verse ran clear to me. I really with all my heart wanted to stay home and rest this morning. I don't feel very well. My throat is a little sore and I have had a nagging headache all day. This verse is so true though, if you don't set your house on the Foundation of the Lord then everything you do in it is in Vain. I knew he would provide me with some rest this afternoon, if i would just be faithful and go listen to his word this morning. I admit I am thankful I did.

Sweet is the sleep of a laborer, whether he eats little or much, but the full stomach of the rich will not let him sleep.

—Ecclesiastes 5:12

Do you ever find it hard to sleep as an adult? I find that as I get older I sleep worse. I don't go to bed early enough. I don't want to wake up in the early morning. I don't stay asleep at night. I work too hard sometimes during the day and get over heated, easy to do in this Texas heat, and then that requires me to nap during the day. That napping sometimes makes my sleeping schedule become more difficult too. My most precious memory of my children was nap time. I could watch them sleep for a long while. I try to remember that our Heavenly Father has to at times just watch us sleep too. After all we are his children and he realizes that we too grow tired.

 I think out of all the verses in the bible this has got to be my favorite in regards to sleep.

Go to the ant, O sluggard;
consider her ways, and be wise.
Without having any chief,
officer, or ruler,
she prepares her bread in summer
and gathers her food in harvest.
How long will you lie there, O sluggard?
When will you arise from your sleep?
A little sleep, a little slumber,
a little folding of the hands to rest,
and poverty will come upon you like a robber,
and want like an armed man.

—Proverbs 6:6-11

 I pray for all of us as we start our children back to school. I pray that we remember to take those long moments with them, the ones where we watch a movie and fall asleep, during the school year. That we take time to rest, connect and love. I pray that your sleep is renewing as you begin this coming week. May the Lord grant you deep rest.