What Are You Doing With Your Insomnia?
I've been a fan of Owl City for a while, and love knowing that Adam Young also suffers from insomnia. He, like me, finds some relief from sleeping in moving vehicles, but generally hasn't found answers from medicine. Today, while enjoying the song The Saltwater Room, I reflected on how Adam has used his insomnia to create beautiful things that bless others. What am I doing with my insomnia? I'm challenged to create rather than consume. How can I redeem my late-night sleeplessness? What can I do that will glorify God and bless others?
Then John Piper's famous blog post about redeeming cancer came to mind. So, like everyone else on the internet, I'm rewriting that list to reflect one of my biggest struggles. This list is still a draft, so feel free to add ideas!
- You will waste your insomnia if you do not believe it is designed for you by God. II Corinthians 3:18
- You will waste your insomnia if you believe it is a curse and not a gift. James 1:5, James 4:6
- You will waste your insomnia if you seek comfort from coping mechanisms rather than from God. Matthew 11:28-30
- You will waste your insomnia if you refuse to think about the worst. God's grace is sufficient! II Corinthians 12:9
- You will waste your insomnia if you think that "beating" insomnia means sleeping regularly rather than cherishing Christ.
- You will waste your insomnia if you spend too much time thinking about sleep and not enough time thinking about God.
- You will waste your insomnia if you let it drive you into solitude instead of deepening your relationships and making your love for others obvious.
- You will waste your insomnia if you are hopeless. Hope is not found in a cure, but in the Son of God.
- You will waste your insomnia if you treat sin as casually as before. Don't shift the blame from your self to your insomnia!
- You will waste your insomnia if you don't use it to witness to the truth and glory of Christ.
Remember you are not left alone. You will have the help you need. “My God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:19).~John Piper
