After God created the heavens and the earth, He rested on the seventh day. His rest was not one of exhaustion but of enjoyment. He commanded us to rest as well, a rest of leisure or enjoyment, not necessarily one of sleep. We work to live, but sadly many often live to work. This is a particular problem in our time due to the 24×7 availability made possible by modern technology. In addition, we are out of rhythm with our nature as a result of artificial light and the noise and distraction of modern diversions.
This cycle is not easily broken, and even when we finally do sleep, it is often fitful rather than deep and restful. In the commercial below, a woman tosses and turns; work his on her mind. A funny moment occurs when she dreams that her boss expects her to respond to his email before she wakes up. We all know that feeling!
At least try to make some progress in recapturing silence and leisure. Consider putting your phone in “do not disturb” mode so that only people you designate can get through to you after a certain time of day. Try turning off that sound that occurs every time you get an email or a text.
Let your evenings be more relaxed. If you don’t you’ll probably have the fitful sleep of the woman in the commercial. The suggested solution for her is to use drugs to bring on sleep.
God says that we should rest and He means more than merely sleeping.