God blesses His people with sleep

This morning we rose earlier than usual so we could be ready for a ‘date’ with our granddaughter. She lives and works in Sweden and we talk with her once a month using Messenger.

After that delightful conversation, I had a bite to eat and then laid down on my recliner chair and slept until noon. I’m still feeling a bit sleepy and have very little ambition. (After lunch, I slept several hours until dinner time.) Friends tell me it will be different when my pacemaker takes over, but these days all I want to do is sleep. Even eating is too much trouble. This is not like me, and at first am discouraged by today’s verses.

“But God, being rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our trespasses, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved— and raised us up with him and seated us with him in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus, so that in the coming ages he might show the immeasurable riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Christ Jesus. For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast. For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them.” (Ephesians 2:4–10)

Once dead in sin and now alive in Christ? For many years that new life in Him has motivated me and given me all kinds of ‘good works’ to fill my time. It is not normal to feel so useless. My hubby and others encourage me that sleep and healing go together, but that isn’t cheering me.

Usually the Bible associates sleep with laziness or other negative attitudes, but the Holy Spirit reminds me of these verses that are encouraging:

“Unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain. Unless the Lord watches over the city, the watchman stays awake in vain. It is in vain that you rise up early and go late to rest, eating the bread of anxious toil; for he gives to his beloved sleep.” (Psalm 127:1–2)

Whatever I do, if God is not in it, the activity is in vain, no matter how anxiously I work. I’m not sure this makes me feel better or less useless, but I am discovering things about myself during this sleepy part of life. For one thing, my dad’s work ethic gave me a strong sense of measuring my value by how much I get done each day. This is fine for healthy people but now I am unable to get anything done, it throws me into the arms of Jesus. I need His perspective. While I’m saved to do ‘good works’ He saved me as a total gift, a work of grace. My value is not in how many boxes get checked off by the end of the day. I’m valuable because Jesus loves me and saved me by grace. It is all about what He did (and still does) not about what I am or do.

^^^^^^^^^^^

Lord Jesus, You know that I don’t like feeling useless, but this time of rest and recuperation gives me the opportunity to focus on Your value system, not mine. I’m saved by grace. I don’t earn it or have to do anything to get my name on Your list. You did it all. For that, I’m grateful. I’m also grateful that You give me sleep . . . at the drop of a hat, I’m in dreamland. You are using this to align my values with Yours. Thank You.