Sleepless in Chicago

I can’t sleep. It’s like 11:30 p.m., and I’m wide awake. This may not be late to some of you, but for me it’s painfully late. My normal bedtime is 9pm because my alarm starts making noise at 4:30am. Granted, I had the day off today so I slept until 7:30am this morning which is probably why I’m not tired.

But believe it or not, the point of this post isn’t to ramble about my nocturnal habits although, a measure of self-pity sounds awfully inviting at the moment. The point of this post is not to discuss various ways to induce oneself to sleep – although that too entices me. The point of this post isn’t even to just keep writing until I get tired.

So what IS the point you may not so patiently be asking?

The point is to reflect on what we do when we desperately want something (in my case sleep) and no amount of self-effort can bring it about.

How do we react? How do we cope? What is our first reaction? What is our last ditch attempt? How long does it take us to come to terms with the fact that we have absolutely no control over certain things? And what does our coping techniques, or lack thereof, really say about us? About our relationship with Christ? With ourselves?

I believe we discover the strength of our faith and trust and in God only when we are in a situation in which we have no control whatsoever of the outcome.

Granted, not being able to sleep is a harmless inconvenience. But what if it was losing a job or my health or a loved one? It’s how I respond to those type of hurricane-like-events that let me know whether I will receive a medal of honor on judgement day or not.

And how does one prepare for such calamities? Scripture provides the answer:

“Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you…Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:…Whom resist stedfast in the faith, knowing that the same afflictions are accomplished in your brethren that are in the world.” (I Peter 5:7-9)