Are You Tired?

Psalm 127:1-2 Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it…It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

I discovered SimCity when I was a freshman in college. It allowed me to leave my pathetic little life and become the supreme ruler of an entire city. I constructed buildings, managed the utilities, and even saved my Sims from natural disasters. I was a god to those Sims! One night in my dorm room, around 4:00am, I heard a voice from behind me say, “Go to bed you idiot!” It was my brother. He didn’t appreciate the amazing achievements I was making in this phony world.

The next day, though I would have denied it, I was barely functioning in my English class. Hyped up on caffeine, I genuinely thought I was doing fine. My brother was right – I was an idiot!

1. Sleep is Not a Sin

Sometimes we miss sleep because we are stupid. We waste away time on frivolous things that deplete our energy and accomplish little. However, sometimes we miss sleep because we think we are too important to sleep. You believe that you can survive on 5 hours a night because you must. If you slept the same amount of time the “lazy people” sleep, the world might be deprived of all that you have to offer. Some egotists go as far as claiming that sleep is somehow sinful. Though the Scriptures are clear that an overabundance of sleep is wrong and will lead to poverty (Prov. 6:9-11), the Bible never condemns a healthy cycle of daily rest. On the contrary, the Bible actually teaches that sleep is a blessed gift.

2. You’re Not Accomplishing Anything Anyway

According to Psalm 127, it is the Lord that is working through you. It’s pointless to avoid rest to accomplish more because God gives sleep to those He loves. The only thing you are accomplishing by limiting your sleep is bringing sorrow into your life.

3. Shoot for Eight Hours Every Day

Greg McKeon, in his wonderful book Essentialism, makes a very strong argument for getting 8 hours of sleep every night in the chapter… SLEEP: Protect the Asset. He contends that a refusal to sleep will affect your performance so negatively that any strides made during your sleepless nights will be negated by your inability to perform at peek levels. In short, if you cheat sleep, life will cheat you.

Your “sims” will be fine while you take time to get your rest – so will your business, church, family, house, etc. They will survive without your supervision for eight hours a day. However, you will never thrive without your eight hours a day.

I want to hear your opinion! Am I slightly off base? Can you perform at peak levels on less sleep? Comment below:

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