My guess is that this genius either didn’t have a child of his own, or was so sleep deprived that he didn’t know what he was saying! You see, I have had two babies and there is no way I would want to sleep like one. My youngest is the noisiest little squirmy thing you’ll ever meet, grunting and flailing as she busts out of her swaddling clothes!
The unfortunate thing about having a baby who sleeps like a baby is that you sleep like a baby, too. You wake up at every mumble, struggling to quiet her down before she wakes the whole house. If you are lucky, you can get back to bed before the brain starts spinning with all the things you will have to do—sleep-deprived—the next day.
When I don’t get enough sleep, I’m not quite as patient, not as kind. As someone once said, “Without enough sleep, we all become tall two year olds.” And that’s really not good when there is already a two year old in the house, albeit a short one. We think, just a little more sleep and I’d be okay.
The problem with sleep, however, is that even when you get a lot of it, you still might feel off. It’s like you got enough sleep but found no rest. There may be times you just want to shout out, like Job, “I have no peace, no quietness; I have no rest, but only turmoil!"
In these moments, we have nowhere to turn but to the Lord. We pray, “Lord, at this time in life, I am not able to sleep as much as my body desires! You know what I need. Please, Lord, sustain and strengthen me, that I might be a good mother, wife, employee, friend, and witness in this time of sleeplessness. Though I may not be getting enough sleep, please bless me with rest in the sleep I am able to get. May I always remember that You give me life, salvation in Jesus Christ, and all I need to live every day to the glory of Your Holy Name. Amen!”
God is so good that, even in the middle of our struggles, He provides blessings. In the middle of the night when my baby wakes up—again—something happens that I treasure as much as sleep. I get a few stolen moments with my baby. I get a few extra cuddles, a few extra kisses, a few extra tears to dry, a few extra feedings to provide, a few extra glances to capture, a few extra songs to sing, a few extra prayers to say, a few extra moments for me to share with my precious child before she goes back to bed. This blessing comes amid the struggle of sleeplessness, and I thank God for it.
Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus who knows your struggles, saved you from them, and walks with you through them! Here are some verses that I hope bless you as they do me:
Psalm 62:5-8
Find rest, O my soul, in God alone;
my hope comes from Him.
He alone is my rock and my salvation;
He is my fortress, I will not be shaken.
My salvation and my honor depend on God;
He is my mighty rock, my refuge.
Trust in Him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to Him,
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 116:7-9
Be at rest once more, O my soul,
for the LORD has been good to you.
For You, O LORD, have delivered my soul from death,
my eyes from tears,
my feet from stumbling,
that I may walk before the LORD
in the land of the living.
Amen!
Here's my angel when she is acutally sleeping!
