There is much misunderstanding about what constitutes true rest.
Many people believe rest comes from material unconsciousness. If fighting insomnia, they may seek a pill to knock them out of consciousness so they can sleep. But then other problems develop, like addictions to sleeping pills, and a forever worry about finding enough sleep.
The better way to satisfying rest is to understand it from a spiritual point of view.
True rest is spiritual consciousness. It’s spiritual mindedness that is filled with the peace and harmony that come from knowing God and feeling God’s presence.
If fighting insomnia, rather than striving for unconsciousness at night, seek a more satisfying consciousness of spiritual reality. Pray to know God! Let the peace and love of God take over consciousness and lift thought to heavenly places where real rest is found.
Mary Baker Eddy wrote, “The highest and sweetest rest, even from a human standpoint, is in holy work” (Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, p. 519). Holy work begins with holy thoughts. Holy thoughts are spiritual thoughts.
Pray for a consciousness of holy thoughts when you lay down to sleep.
In a consciousness of holy thoughts coming from the Mind of God, you will find blissful rest and peace of mind, which in turn, lead to the most restful sleep.
Thanks, Evan, for another wonderful, practical SpiritView. Many of us have struggled with this problem. I have felt inspired to pray before bed or have the Lesson. It’s important to realize that this, like any other problem, can be healed.
-Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. (Matthew 11:28)
-When thou liest down thou shalt not be afraid, thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shall be sweet. (Prov 3:24)
-I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. (Psalms 4:8)
Where else can we find true peace and rest than in God. Evan, the photo is so precious and heartwarming, with the dog’s floppy ear over the kitten’s shoulder, just as we are under God’s wing, inseparable and safe under His care.
Thank you Rose❣️
Thanks so much Rose!
I yearn to know the rest in holy work while awake as well.
Dali sat in a chair holding a spoon. When it
fell to the floor he was finished sleeping.
A few others had similar methods.
“The wakeful shepherds beholds the first faint
morning beams, ere cometh the full radiance
of a risen day.”
Science and Health. v11-2-4
occasionally I have trouble getting off to sleep because I have a million things I’m still thinking about. But one night I decided to say the Lord’s Prayer through very slowly thinking in depth about each phrase and including Eddy’s spiritual interpretation. (This had often worked before too). Anyway, this time I got no further than “Our Father” because immediately I thought ..”Mother, guide, guardian, light, divine intelligence, infinite Mind of all, universal structure., creator of all true substance, source of all Life, the emanation of true Love…….and on and on! Eventually, I went to sleep but I had come up with about 30 different names for God …then I slept so well for hours and hours which is unusual.
Thanks, Diane.
Decades ago when I was caring for an ill and abusive husband and medically needy baby /child who needed to nurse every 20 minutes for three years (unable to take a bottle or tube or substitute for mother’s milk) I learned this from God and it has helped me immeasurably ever since.
“It is not the hours of unconsciousness, but the moments of divine consciousness that rest restore and heal.”
“ I don’t need to sleep; I need to heed inspiration and to be loving.“
“ It is not what other people do to me and it’s not my circumstances, it is my attitude and my choice to love and to obey God.”
(With a variation on Mary Baker Eddy’s writing) “Whatever is my duty to do I can do without harm to myself or others.“
“ I can of my own self do nothing, what my Father-Mother does makes me able to do anything. I don’t have to do it alone and I cannot do it alone; God does the work and I witness with gratitude.”
Always hyper vigilant to care for others in frequent medical emergencies and distress, and because of the physical and psychological severe pain, crazy-making abuse, social isolation and limited options in “damned if I do, damned if I don’t, lose-lose, catch 22s“ while trying to make sense of the senseless and frantically problem-solve frequent emergencies for most of 37 years I got 0 to 4 hours of sleep per 24 and that was in short spurts interrupted and low quality. I learned that no matter how exhausted, fatigued, overwhelmed, and heartbroken I felt, that to the degree I discipline my thought and heart to thank and trust and glorify God, and to re-commit to be loving and forgiving no matter what, and to the degree that I was very specific in my gratitude for every detail I could think of during the previous day and my plans for the next day, and to the degree of my humility in committing to do God‘s will, not mine, I could find answers, endurance, and patience to lovingly forgive and give others grace.
It helped for me to be very disciplined and organized in laying out the clothes, food, toys and tools, enough gas and oil in the car if I had one, or whatever for the following day with a checklist so I wouldn’t have to be worrying during the night. I had a notepad and pen by my bed to write down thoughts I wouldn’t have to rethink or worry during the night that I might forget. I discipline myself even without turning the light on to immediately write down whatever divine ideas God gave me during the night.
My abusers had a guilty conscience and sleep problems either sleeping too much for avoidance or not enough because they were afraid of getting caught or held accountable. So if I did not want to be like them I had to make sure that with each thought and choice I had a clean conscience .
But most of all, prior bedtime, when awakened at night, at the beginning of each day and activity, to be thinking about every divine quality of God and especially those needs that I thought were unmet or inadequately met, and to instead see and thank God for every indication that they were being expressed and met either as human symbols or as an urgent call to wake me up to affirm and act on. If someone else was contemptuous, that was an affirmation that respect and reverence and love and our oneness is a spiritual fact and I have a human opportunity to practice that. It seems that most of what other people did in my life was illustrate what not to do, so my job was to be the change I wanted, and to thank and bless them for the reminder.
When most of my life I felt that humans did not give me understanding, empathy, moral support, or meaningful help, or good examples, it gave me an opportunity to rely more on God and to discipline myself to not only avoid being like them but to more actively be the opposite, to be more and more like Christ. Throughout my life, my abusers were always afraid and unprincipled, living lies, so I committed to the courage and peace of mind that comes from being reverent, loving, and principled. The abusers, rapists, torturers, polluters, warmongers, corrupt brutal police, corrupt politicians and businesses, cons, etc. would never do evil and never get away with their evil unless they had the majority of people refusing to prevent it or intervene or hold them accountable. So I could rest easy at night, knowing that I was not a bystander but an UPstander actively proactively intervening and preventing harm and actively heroically caring for and supporting those who were harmed while working to change the systems, society, and individual thinking from doing harm to doing good. I knew that not just in the Bible and not Justin politics and then litigation against corporations, but in all of life those of us to obey the Christ command to be the prophet are going to be punished so I don’t lose any sleep over it, I don’t take it personally, just obey and speak in the inconvenient truth and making sure that we courageously and humbly re-examine our beliefs and behaviors and welcome truth that rebuked and heals us. I committed to ever Improving and raising my conscience and living evermore true to that so I could rest in self confidence and self trust without the strain, drain, and pain of a guilty conscience or a deadened conscience. Not wearing myself out with psychological denial and self justification and fear or a sense of them against me/us, I don’t need as much sleep.
Fear strains, drains, pains, and kills. Love energizes, strengthens, inspires, restores, and gives peace of mind and rest of body.
Based on a life-changing prayer that protected me from a planned gang rape, the same spiritual logic and prayer helped me months later with a major theft and financial emergency, the same type of logic help me with the next prayers. “No. Your safety, the dog’s safety, and their safety is not dependent upon the presence or the absence of a dog, a tent mate, neighbors, or the police. Your safety and their safety is solely dependent upon the ever-presence of Me, God, Now love them and pray for them. Defend their innocence and protect their purity.”
Months later: “No. Your wealth and financial security is not dependent upon the absence or the presence of dollars in a bank account, but the love and integrity in your heart and your life.”
Then: “No. Your health and safety is not dependent upon food and water, shelter, companionship, exercise, and sleep. It is solely dependent upon Me as your only and eternal Life.”
Each opportunity for prayer and healing gave the foundation for the next specifically applied prayer. I was told that the quickest way to control someone, and make someone insane and kill them is to use fear, confusion, and sleep deprivation. Before abusers or tortures could use that they have to first think and feel disconnected, afraid, and disrespectful. So my defense is to do the opposite: to feel connected with God and all of creation, to trust God, to humbly revere and glorify God and prove it by living God’s grace, and to think and treat myself and others with respect and empathy. To the degree I do that, I don’t need as much sleep and I heal more quickly, I have a better mood, and I can think and act more efficaciously with more benefit to all.
I recently learned that throughout most of human history it was considered normal to have first sleep and second sleep around the center of the night waking. It was only drug companies trying to scare us about being awake during the night especially after artificial lighting and changed work demands, that people became socialized to think they needed to have 6 to 12 hours of uninterrupted sleep or drugs and self-pity/shame and fear. But actually, the best times to quiet the human mind and ego and to be more receptive to the divine mind is when we’re not distracted by doing things and all the sensory input and interactions with people.
Since the whole purpose of our life is to live God’s qualities loving our Creator and Love’s creation, the most important task is to have that communion with God at the beginning and end of each day, and middle of each day and night, for receiving the inspiration that we are to act on during the day.
So instead of worrying about or complaining about being awakened, we can rejoice at this quiet uninterrupted time to focus on listening to and trusting God‘s communication and love for us. When we process and resolve thoughts before bed, that helps us have a better process for more inspired thoughts during the night and morning, for more wisdom and effectiveness with inspired actions that further inspire us and inspire others. This quiets our confusion and fear, and gives us more peace of mind, endurance, power, and productivity. Repeatedly people will say that the discovery, invention, inspiration, composition, etc. came to them when they acquired their mind from distraction during the middle of the night. Who would want to waste that opportunity by giving it up for worthless dreams, delusions, and dullness? Who would want to be a slave to unnatural work and sleep rhythms disconnecting us from nature and our divine nature? Who would want to waste time being asleep to God’s, Love’s, inspiration, mission, and ministering for us?
Awake at night? Hurray! Time to pray and hear what God will say and grace our day!
Thanks Edith ! I needed this.
Edith, your consecration to disciplined thought, thus making your constant labor holy work is truly inspiring and so very helpful to read. Thank you for taking the time to write out your thoughts on HOW you demonstrated such love in action, in spite of what most would consider extremely daunting circumstances.
Btw, I, too, have had much invaluable inspiration come while wrestling with error in the night hours, praying for understanding how to love unconditionally and to see God’s kingdom where mortal evils scream so loudly. These often lengthy prayer times do not seem to detract from getting a good rest. I feel much gratitude for all the devoted, good work going on the world over to counteract the many claims of depravity and loss broadcast at us. Thank you, Spiritview readers, for all the work you do to live Christ-filled lives!
‘Wanted: a good night’s sleep’:
https://sentinel.christianscience.com/shared/view/xi9y3dbrma?s=e
Thatnk you very. much, Angie, for the link to this articel, which contains so wonderful ideas of God’s so loving care for us all
And I am very grateful for Evan’s so comforting SpiritView of today.
I often have a problem to remain restful, after somebody called me in the later evening, when I try to come down from the day, and just prayed to let God’s peaceful thoughts in . Then i sit still for a while until a calming thought takes over.
I am endless grateful for Christian Science, the loving nurses and wonderful practitioners and for the sunday school. All are gorgeous helpers and teachers on our small and narrow way to understand and practise Christian Science.
Thank you so so much, dear Evan for your healing spiritual views!♡
Oh yes, I must come oncemore .
There is a longing to seek a more satisfying consciousness of spiritual reality and thus praying to know God better and better.
How wonderful it would be to let the peace and love of God, Good take over consciousness which lifts thought to heavenly places where real, peaceful rest is found. That is utmost desirable!
Thanks again Evan!♡
A sweet photo full of pure love. Thanks Evan for this conversation today. Sometimes we think of sleep as a good escape from whatever is bothering us and we start assessing how much sleep (unconsciousness) we deem necessary to humanly function properly. Recently I have come to understand a little better that I need to claim the one and only “consciousness”, both day and night. I am always in divine consciousness and not dreaming my way through unconsciousness at night. This is my “oneness” or “onliness” with God which never ebbs and flows. When I go to bed I affirm my oneness and only consciousness to be in God, and give thanks. I have found this so helpful.
This is a marvelous message, thank you so much. I love the picture of the pets who simply find the comfort zone.
Everyone loves a hug and a feeling of warmth. Love to all.
I’m thankful to Evan for all of.his SpiritView blogs and vlogs on such important topics. A friend who subscribes to SpiritView has been sharing with me, and I’m very grateful for all of the healing inspiration shared by Evan and Everyone who shares wonderful healing comments. I’m especially grateful tonight for the sharing from Edith Gillis. I feel that her sharing and her life are amazing and Christ-like. Her sharing would make a good article or testimony in the Periodicals. I hope that Evan will be in touch with her and help her submit her sharing to the Sentinel or Journal.
I find if I lie in the dark and pray with whatever comes to consciousness I fall asleep. I do wake up with mortal mind nagging me with thoughts. I know it is time to read and pray. My family worries about my waking up. I see no divide between day and night and ceaseless prayer. I stopped fighting my wakefulness
Thank you Evan and all the inspiration shared .I have learned so much ,Thanks.
I am always so grateful for this time alone with God.
Thank you Edith and Angie and All! Thank you!