Article July 7, 1997 Issue

Sleepless?

Robert A. Johnson

It used to be true that often I couldn't sleep at night because I was too busy thinking about things. I was either worrying about something, planning for some event, or just mulling things over. At first I didn't know what to do about it. All the things I would think about seemed important as I lay awake, but in the light of the following day, I could see that much of it was useless—or worse. Even so, I didn't seem to be able to change this pattern.

Then I saw that there was a better way of thinking at night as I began to grow spiritually, a way that would crowd out unnecessary and disturbing mental activity. I realized that I could pray and even give Christian Science treatment, instead of ruminating endlessly. I remembered, too, Christ Jesus' promise "Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest" (Matt. 11:28). The change didn't come overnight, but more and more my wakeful moments were filled with prayer. Frequently I prayed the Lord's Prayer, which Christ Jesus taught, along with its spiritual explanation given on pages 16 and 17 of Science and Health.

Almost invariably, I would then have a good night's rest. That doesn't mean that I always fell asleep immediately, though that often happened. But even when I didn't the prayer gave me rest, proving the truth of this statement: "The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint, is in holy work" (Science and Health, pp. 519–520).

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