Is Sleep Something Holy?

I often ask myself the question as to whether or not sleep is holy.

For me, sleep deprivation makes me feel unholy. Any chance I have to resemble a child of God vanishes if I don't get my sleep.

In the wisdom of His creation, God separated light from darkness. He wonderfully ordained separate hours of light and darkness as a gift to ensure his creatures would sleep and be refreshed. Night and day naturally divided work-and-play time from sleep-and-dream time.

"I love my bed." During her high school years, my youngest daughter would say that often as she got under her covers and closed her eyes. She had a pretty comforter and special sheet sets I had bought for her, but they were only a slight part of her enjoyment of her bed.

Every day my daughter arose very early to get ready for her day at school. She chose a tough academic schedule with no breaks for study halls. After the day's classes were over, she threw herself into physically demanding athletics. From there, she went to a job at a cookie bakery, and on some nights, she sold popcorn and candy at the local theater. I wonder now how she managed to complete her studies and maintain good grades. But I do know that once she crawled into bed at night, she luxuriated in being there. We would say good night, and as I walked away, I would hear the blissful sigh and the words, "I love my bed."

Except for those who work at a physically demanding job, we often don't appreciate the true blessing of sleep. The sweet rapture of falling into bed after complete physical exhaustion is a rare delight to most of us. We seldom experience being so physically tired that we crave going to bed. We extend the hours of our day with our TVs and computers, wearing out our eyes, yet still stubbornly refusing to turn off the gadgets.

I battled sleeplessness after my divorce. After enduring the loss of home and husband and the flight of three grown children from the nest, I was devastated. I had to pull myself together to survive. I took a job on an island where there was a teacher shortage. After all the major changes in my life, I realized I had to reinvent myself to some degree. My mind was so restless that sleep would not come.

Often I would get behind the wheel at night and drive from one end of the island to the other. The island was about twelve miles long. Some nights I would add over a hundred miles to the odometer just driving back and forth on the island parkway, then return to my rented apartment and try to sleep. My day still seemed sadly unfinished. I had no one anymore to say good night to.

Now I have a dog and cat who like to sleep on my bed. The sound of their snoring is a healing balm to me, as I hope the sound of my snoring is to them. We are peaceful together, somehow comforting each other by being close.

I do think sleep can be a gift made holy by how we use it. Sleep refreshes our minds and bodies and spirits so that we might live another day to honor our Creator and to live life in the joyful, loving, purposeful way that He intended.