I remember several years ago I was sitting around a living room late at night with a group of friends. We were having one of those long conversations about all of our troubles with life. It was the type of conversation that starts with one person being honest and everyone else follows their lead. Conversations like these seem to last long into the early hours of the morning. I think it is because we desire to be honest with each other, but we are afraid that when the conversations ends so will the honest moments.
During this particular late night conversation someone brought up a quote, “Things are always better in the morning”. At the time I was feeling down about some issues in my life and brushed off that idea, but eventually I went home and got some sleep. In the morning I was surprised that I felt better, but for no specific reason.
It hit me then that there is some subtle truth to, “Things are always better in the morning.” I searched to see where the quote came from. Turns out it is from a book that I hated reading in high school, To Kill A Mockingbird. I’m still not a fan of the book, but I find its quote to be true.
Sometimes the solution to our problems is as simple as a good night’s sleep.
BAD DAYS
Psalm 30:5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.
Scripture does not pull its punches when it comes to having bad days. There are regular examples of Christians struggling throughout the Bible. Stephen was stoned. John was exiled. Jesus was crucified. The list can go on and on.
So, I do not think we should kid ourselves when it comes to our expectations. We will suffer through trials and tribulations. It is bound to happen, but it is only for a moment and God’s favor will be for a lifetime.
I think we linger on our problems too much. We make our nights longer by focusing on what we lack. All of those pains and sufferings are very temporary. There is no point in giving them any more power than they deserve.
Sometimes the solution is as simple as a good night’s rest. I feel that too often we forget to rest. Even God needs time to rest. That is why he rested on the seventh day. So, if he needs to take a break, then so do we. We need to seek the morning and the best way to do that is sleep.
GET SOME SLEEP
I’m talking about physical and metaphorical sleep. Our bodies need sleep and I know many people in this world suffer from insomnia. I find that praying for healing is the best solution to that ailment. We also need to rest from our negative thoughts, though. We need to lay them down, sacrifice them to Christ, and seek a new dawn.
The sun rises when we are willing to sleep through the night. I’ll never say that it is easy, but God has never disappointed us when it comes to the morning. The sun has always risen. It has never stopped since the creation of this world. We can depend on God just like we can depend on the morning.
Sometimes it’ll be night and it’ll hard to sleep, but the morning is always on the way and it brings joy with it. Mother Teresa once said, “that once in heaven, her time on earth will be compared to nothing more than an inconvenient night at an uncomfortable hotel.” I have to agree with her. Compared to the ultimate joys we have in store for us in heaven, this world is just one short uncomfortable night of sleep. Things are always better in the morning.
Off The Cuff Christian 