“When you lie down, you will not be afraid; when you lie down, your sleep will be sweet” -Proverbs 3:24 NIV
Ah-h-h, sleep. To “sleep like a baby.” Take a good look at the picture above, taken during the flooding from Hurricane Harvey in 2017 – the rescuer and woman focused on the water risen above car’s headlights. But the baby…at complete rest! This is the rest we seek, what our bodies need, to put all things aside and give way to sleep. But how can we do that in the midst of life’s storms? As a caregiver?
Vital for good health, our bodies were created with the need for sleep. It’s SO much more than physical rest. Sleep is essential for brain health, healing and tissue repair, immune system health, cardiovascular health and blood pressure, as well as hormonal function, appetite and breathing. In addition the time that we sleep provides emotional down time, freedom from stress and a rest for our senses, all of utmost importance to caregivers.
Much research has gone into the study of sleep with hundreds of articles written on the body’s need for sleep and how to prepare yourself to sleep well. Yet insomnia is a common complaint and concern for many. From my personal struggles as a caregiver, I learned that I needed to consider TRUST.
The Gospels tell us Jesus loved the little children, saying that the “kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these” (Matthew 19:14), even telling His disciples that “unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.” Strong words…requiring CHANGE. I came face to face with this premise as I cared for Dale’s needs…mainly during times of great trauma for us both. The greater the need, the greater my inability to handle it myself. And I was faced with GREAT need, “in over my head” as the saying goes. In those dark times, the example of a little child pointed me to the next step…requiring CHANGE. For me to become like a little child, as pictured above, I had to completely put my TRUST in something/Someone greater than me, who loved me enough to take care of me. Just imagine if that little child was fighting the mother, maybe climbing on the man or throwing themselves around – only adding to the rescue problem. My challenge became to “take my hands off” and practice taking each unsolvable problem, each heartbreaking concern, each unanswered question to God, mentally and verbally turning it over to His care, even envisioning the transfer into His capable hands.
When little children bring a parent something to fix, they leave the item/problem with the parent…and go back to their playing. They don’t tell the parent how to accomplish each step…because they don’t know how! If I am to be “as a little child”, I HAVE TO CHANGE MY PRACTICES, take my hands off the problems, and wait for direction. When the next step is evident, I can move on it; when that next step is to sleep, I can yield my mind and body to rest because I’ve already yielded to God the things for which I need answers.
It’s a simple concept, yet not often developed quickly. Our habits are strong and we have to consistently practice thinking like a little child in order to put ourselves in that place. Even if we’re awakened in the middle of the night, the practice is the same, sometimes needing to talk out loud as we give Him the concerns at hand. He IS the faithful One, waiting for us to cast our cares upon Him and promising peace in the midst of trials.
I am thankful for the practices developed in me during those years, carrying me past fear, through grief and on into life adjustments. My rest was always sufficient, even if it came at odd times. Sweet sleep is His promise; He is our Refreshing. (Psalm 19:7+)
Father, help us to come to you as little children, trusting you to take care of all that concerns us in the right timing, and to yield our mind and body to Your rest, that we may rise up refreshed to do the next right thing. (John 14:26-7 NIV)
SONG LINK:
Twila Paris “Do I Trust You?”
https://youtu.be/OE91UU464NU
For Those Who Care 