Article July 5, 1993 Issue

Finding the rest we need

Genuine rest has a spiritual source—the one God.

Isabel F. Bates

A prominent pharmaceutical company, interested in selling its sleeping pills, broadcasts the provocative question over American television "Are you having trouble getting to sleep?"

It's normal, of course, to have a certain amount of sleep. But are sleeping pills a valid answer to our need for rest? Referring to the keeping of "sound wisdom and discretion," the Bible, in the book of Proverbs, includes this promise to us as followers of God: "When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." Our sleep shall be sweet!

Yet sometimes we may find ourselves struggling through the night in weariness and discomfort, besieged by discordant thoughts and having to face the next day fighting dullness and fatigue, unable to do our jobs properly. It is not, however, mere temporary relief or periods of unconsciousness that we should reach for. What we need is an across-the-board mental change of the kind that will bring real peace of mind. What else can give us a true sense of rest and also help to guarantee the healthy, productive lives we long for?

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