Get More Sleep?

Would you be surprised (offended?) if the counselor you’re seeing told you to get more sleep?  Why might a counselor speak of something related to your physical nature, rather than your spiritual nature?  The short answer is because we are all embodied souls.

We consist of the outer man and the inner man.  The outer man is flesh and bones, the material, the limited and earthly.  The inner man is what we could simply refer to as the heart - the seat of our desires, allegiances, and emotions.

Because we are embodied souls, we cannot ignore either the inner man or the outer man, nor can we divorce one from the other.  So back to the question at hand - why might your counselor suggest more sleep?  Lack of sleep is one of thousands of ways our physical mind or body can act as a drag on our spiritual lives.  Chronic illness, mobility issues, and psychological dispositions are other ways we can acutely see what Paul speaks of in 2Corinthians 4:16 - our outer self is wasting away.  Our bodies betray us.  Our cognition declines.  And sometimes we just need more zzzz’s. 

“But wait” you say. “I thought our biggest problem is sin that flows from the inner man, the heart?”  That is right - our premier issue is a worship issue - the moral direction of our hearts to obey the Lord or not.  But our bodies and minds can make it harder for us to love God and love others.  To be clear, our bodies can’t make us sin, but they can be a source of temptation.  If lack of sleep and your mind’s response to it is making it easier for you to be a jerk, your counselor is on to something.

Some will want to ignore the body altogether and focus exclusively on the inner man.  In our modern world, the pull is in the other direction - almost every problem is seen as only a physical one because we’ve been reduced to only physical beings.  The bible shows us that we are embodied souls and so wisdom would say address both the inner man and the outer man.  Repentance and faith in Christ are ultimate gifts from God.  And sometimes a little more shut-eye can help us see that easier.