“...there may be medical (or physical or mental) or environmental reasons why sleep is hard to come by.
But, I don’t think sleep is at any time less than a spiritual issue. Let me explain. Our beings cannot easily
be separated into physical and spiritual elements. We are whole beings. Even very straightforward
physical ailments hae spiritual elements and significance to them. For example, let’s say I broke my arm
badly....Now, that was a purely physical issue, wasn’t it? My arm was broken in several places, my wrist
was damaged and it just needed time and good medical care to sort out. Right. Well, sort of right.
There’s no indication that there was anything deeply spiritual doing on behind the injury...However,
here’s the thing: how I reacted to the injury was a spiritual issue: how I dealt with the disappointment of
a promising tennis career...how I coped with the worry of falling behind in school because I couldn't write;
how I kept my spirits up and my Christian joy intact; how I would serve in church playing the piano with
only one hand...the list goes on and on. It was a physical issue which needed medical treatment and
resolution. But it would be naive to say that it had no spiritual resolution...So, there may well be
medical reasons for your struggle with sleep. These may be very complex and difficult mental health
issues, for example, that take a lot of sorting. However, there will still be spiritual elements ot address.”
(69-71).
But, I don’t think sleep is at any time less than a spiritual issue. Let me explain. Our beings cannot easily
be separated into physical and spiritual elements. We are whole beings. Even very straightforward
physical ailments hae spiritual elements and significance to them. For example, let’s say I broke my arm
badly....Now, that was a purely physical issue, wasn’t it? My arm was broken in several places, my wrist
was damaged and it just needed time and good medical care to sort out. Right. Well, sort of right.
There’s no indication that there was anything deeply spiritual doing on behind the injury...However,
here’s the thing: how I reacted to the injury was a spiritual issue: how I dealt with the disappointment of
a promising tennis career...how I coped with the worry of falling behind in school because I couldn't write;
how I kept my spirits up and my Christian joy intact; how I would serve in church playing the piano with
only one hand...the list goes on and on. It was a physical issue which needed medical treatment and
resolution. But it would be naive to say that it had no spiritual resolution...So, there may well be
medical reasons for your struggle with sleep. These may be very complex and difficult mental health
issues, for example, that take a lot of sorting. However, there will still be spiritual elements ot address.”
(69-71).
I loved this little book. I wish it had been longer, but it’s a great start to discuss a long-neglected subject.
I had never thought about sleep from a spiritual perspective, and I’m so glad this book helped me start.
My favorite part was the work Reynolds did elucidating the dynamics between the physical and spiritual.
I had never thought about sleep from a spiritual perspective, and I’m so glad this book helped me start.
My favorite part was the work Reynolds did elucidating the dynamics between the physical and spiritual.
“I don’t think sleep is at any time less than a spiritual issue.” He goes on to explain that we are whole
people, and cannot be easily separated into the physical, spiritual, emotional, etc. Then he gives the
example of breaking an arm and how that is indeed a physical issue, and the odds of it being caused
by some deep spiritual issue are very small. “However, how I reacted to the injury WAS a spiritual issue.”
How he reacted to all the ways this affected his life (unable to pursue a tennis career, falling behind in
school due to inability to write, unable to play the piano in church, etc). What is clear to see in this
example is also true of sleep: there may be medical / physical / environmental issues that need
addressing, but there will also be spiritual elements that shouldn’t go neglected.
people, and cannot be easily separated into the physical, spiritual, emotional, etc. Then he gives the
example of breaking an arm and how that is indeed a physical issue, and the odds of it being caused
by some deep spiritual issue are very small. “However, how I reacted to the injury WAS a spiritual issue.”
How he reacted to all the ways this affected his life (unable to pursue a tennis career, falling behind in
school due to inability to write, unable to play the piano in church, etc). What is clear to see in this
example is also true of sleep: there may be medical / physical / environmental issues that need
addressing, but there will also be spiritual elements that shouldn’t go neglected.
I don’t think I ever understood this concept before, but it definitely applies to a myriad of life’s issues.
I also learned about sleep as a metaphor for death for the believer, something clearly Biblical...but
somehow previously missed by me! So, thank you Reynolds!
somehow previously missed by me! So, thank you Reynolds!
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