But Are You Sleeping?

A few years ago, a couple months after the birth of our third child, I had several weeks of intense depression, and was struggling deeply with temptations to despair. It was a very dark time in my life, and no matter how much I prayed, that darkness didn't seem to want to lift. But after what seemed like an eternity of fighting, one evening at our small group, I finally humbled myself enough to ask for help. And I admit I was a little surprised by one of the first questions that was asked after I confessed my struggle with despair. It wasn't "Are you reading your Bible?" or "Are you praying a lot?" or "Is there any great sin in your life?" The simple question was "Are you getting enough sleep?"

Sleep, good food, physical exercise, sunlight and fresh air (it was also the middle of the Canadian winter)... These things seem like such temporal, inconsequential things to us sometimes, but if we are not taking care of our physical bodies, we are leaving room for the devil's attacks. Being physically unhealthy can do much to disrupt our emotional, mental and spiritual health. Our souls are not divorced from the physical body we live in. Do you notice that it's harder to be joyful and content when you've had several days without enough sleep? Or when you've enjoyed a little too much junk food? Or when you've been running around all day and haven't taken the time to eat? I certainly do! And after that evening at small group, when I started making a real effort to get sleep whenever I could, and to get outside for some fresh air, the depression really did slowly begin to lift. 

While we don't want to put our hope in things like sleep and other healthy habits (any mother knows there are times when sleeping, eating and exercising properly are nearly impossible!), we do want to be taking care of the bodies God has given us as best we can, so that we have the energy and stamina to carry out our God-given responsibilities joyfully, and fight temptation with strength. Sometimes that means sleeping when the baby sleeps, even if it's not the most convenient time. (This is obviously harder if you have more than one child, in which case it might mean occasionally asking a friend to watch the older kids for an hour or two so you can get a little rest.) Sometimes that means not doing that "one more thing", so you can get to bed (I'm talking to myself here!). Sometimes that means saying no to a second helping of dessert, or a second cup of coffee. Sometimes it means the discipline of getting your body moving when you'd rather lie on the couch. And sometimes, when you really can't avoid a sleep deficit, or you're feasting for a good reason, or there's no time or health for exercise, it means being alert to the fact that those things may effect you negatively, and being prepared to fight the devil with other means.

I don't say any of this to discount real spiritual battles, to discount real hormonal issues, to discount more "spiritual" means of fighting temptation. I'm sure there were hormonal things going on when I was fighting depression (not uncommon after pregnancy and birth). I know there were real spiritual battles being fought, and I was seeking to fight them with the Word, with prayer, and with fellowship with godly believers. But the simple fact is that sometimes we miss the surface physical issues in the fight against sin. Charles Spurgeon once said, "Sometimes the most spiritual thing a person can do is sleep." Psalm 127 says that God gives sleep to those he loves (interesting that right after that verse, it tells us how much children are a blessing!). And when Elijah is running for his life from Ahab in 1 Kings 19, and cries out in great fear and depression, God sends sleep and food to encourage and strengthen him.

So let me ask you:

Are you sleeping?