Feeling tired? Longing for more sleep? Wish that you woke up feeling refreshed? I think that we can all relate to those questions. In fact, sleep deprivation or restless sleep is one factor (among others) in people feeling stressed or even struggling with depression. Dr. Archibald Hart emphasizes why sleep is so crucial to holistic heath. “There is a clear, though complex, connection between insomnia and your physical health, emotional and spiritual health, including heart disease, diabetes, obesity, depression, anxiety, memory problems, immune deficiency, and even how long you can expect to live. Also, remember that God created us to sleep. Sleep deprivation can seriously interfere with your relationship with Him.”  http://www.aacc.net/2011/01/06/7-strategies-for-sound-sleep   (Hart, “Sleep: It Does a Body Good”).

There is a rhythm built into creation that, when out of balance, will have negative effects. We are not designed to live on adrenaline rushes and then expect that the adrenaline will be flushed from our system when it is time for sleep. Not always but sleep deprivation can relate to lifestyle choices. Engaging entertainment that stirs the emotions can actually work against a good night’s sleep.

Let’s face it, many of us are adrenaline junkies, though we may not like the term. “Surely not I,” someone might say. “I can see how it might relate to others but not me”. Yet how many of us love the thrill of the chase, the engagement of our emotions, the shows or events that stir us.

Yet nature is seldom in a high-pitched fever. Nor should we. A balanced life finds those moments of rhythm and rest.

I would suggest that the same can also apply to our prayer life. Prayer can be harried and rushed, distracted and unfocused, even deemed boring because it doesn’t bring the same rush that we may find with social media or the entertainment world. It can often be an addendum attached to a busy day or a precursor at the start of a day but ineffective because effective prayer can not be rushed or displaced by our lifestyle choices. A deeper prayer life can not be simply turned on or off like a light switch. There is a rhythm found in a deeper walk with Christ, in a prayer life that is satisfying and rewarding.

Many of us long for deeper sleep, those REM moments, when the body moves into its restorative processes. So also do many long for an effective prayer life, one that really works. Both can be restorative to the spirit, soul and body but it does require lifestyle adjustments. It’s really how you choose to define your priorities in life.

Blessings!