Article February 4, 2019 Issue

Find refreshing rest

Hank Teller

Difficulty in getting sufficient sleep for whatever reason is of concern to many. Studies have resulted in estimates that between 50 million and 70 million Americans have sleep-related problems. Also, according to the IQVIA Institute for Human Data Sciences (formerly IMS Health), Americans were prescribed some 59 million sleeping pills in 2012 (Jonel Aleccia, “Sleepless in the States,” www.nbcnews.com, August 29, 2013). In the town of 50,000 where I live, there are several sleep clinics.

My heart goes out to those who struggle with this problem. The need for peaceful rest has been recognized since biblical times, and the Bible gives us hints on how to meet this issue. King Solomon, for instance, tells us to “keep sound wisdom and discretion:… When thou liest down … thy sleep shall be sweet” (Proverbs 3:21, 24). And Christ Jesus invites all to “come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28).

There was a time when I frequently experienced interrupted or fretful sleep because of employment concerns. I was director of a cooperative graduate education program between two universities, when, with little notice, one of the universities withdrew from the agreement. Without the program to manage, I ended up losing a third of my income, which seemed devastating to my family. I also felt some resentment toward an administrator at the university that had dropped its support. My efforts to reestablish the program or replace my lost income through other means were not successful.

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