by Pastor Douglas Brauner

Sleep Is Not Overrated!

These beavers worked so hard that someone needed to transported them to another stream. The rodents worked hard and fast. One day the stream flowed freely through Sondermann Park and the next there was this pond. They couldn’t stop what they were doing. They even took on trees that were above their pay grade.

They did what their Creator appointed them to do.

Though we reflect on their labor, do we think about their rest? The sun-drenched beaver hut is a reminder that even the most industrious of us need rest.

And I heard a voice from heaven saying, “Write this: Blessed are the dead who die in the Lord from now on.” “Blessed indeed,” says the Spirit, “that they may rest from their labors, for their deeds follow them!”
Revelation 14:13 English Standard Version

These words speak to me not only of my rest as I enter the presence of the Lamb, but of my daily rest.

I thank God for sleep. Sleep is not overrated.

God calls us to the labor of each day with each day’s tasks zapping us of energy whether that be emotional, physical, or mental energy. Fatigue might be the norm for our evening hours. We fall out of bed, put on our clothes, down a pot of coffee and head off to work, sometimes taking on a task that is larger than we are. Then we return home hoping that our nights rest in our tiny little hut will restore us for the next day’s journey into the wilds of work.

But what about this death thing that John mentions? In Jesus’ death, we die daily to the old ways of doing things and this death is precious in the sight of God. Even as we work, we die only to find that God brings us to rest from that day’s labor.

This daily routine ought to remind us of our final rest in the presence of the Lamb. Yes, the focus of this passage is on heaven, and I hope that your sleep tonight and the rest that it brings will remind you of your final rest with Christ.

Copyright Family of Christ Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado