Yoga at 3am, anyone?

So, as I said, this idea started a while ago. I'll sometimes post things that I wrote months ago and saved for a rainy day. Here's one now. This one caught my eye as it happened to be 3am when I got up to be with my sweet, sick little boy. Cold season...yuck!
 

Yoga at 3am, anyone?

Who does yoga at 3am, you may be wondering. Well, as far as I knew, it was about to be me. This morning, as I woke for probably the 8^th time over the course of the night due to back aches, hip aches and having to go to the bathroom, I kept thinking- “This is it. I won’t be able to fall asleep again, I know it!” It’s been one more sleep-interrupted night in a stretch I can’t even keep up with. I’ve tried an inestimable amount of strategies: coaxing myself to sleep, which only gets my mind going and wakes me up completely; counting backwards from 10 over and over again; switching sides to get more “comfortable;” and eventually getting up around 3 or 4am to have a quiet time, read a book, check emails or write.

So, when I woke this morning, I was sure it was about 3am and I was going to have to do some yoga to get the aches out of my tired body. I thought, “OK, God- I know You know what you’re doing, and I know I need to have a good heart about this, but Jeeparonis!! This is hard!!!” So when I rolled out of bed, trying not to wake up my wonderful husband, I made my way for the kitchen clock only to find out it was 6:15. I was elated!!! This has been the most I’ve been able to sleep in I don’t know how long.

I happily made my pot of decaf Earl Grey and got ready for my quiet time by the window. It’s funny how perspective can change everything. I was reading a while ago about Mary’s response to the angel, Gabriel, when he told her she would give birth to Jesus. “’I am the Lord’s servant,’ Mary answered. ‘May it be to me as you have said.’” Luke 1:38

Also, in Matthew 20, Jesus responds to the request of James & John’s dear, well-meaning mother for them to sit at his right and left in His Kingdom. He answers her, “I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My Father has prepared those places for the ones he has chosen.” Mt 20:23

Well, between these two verses, I really get that I am God’s servant. What God has declared for me is what I want to learn to get my heart behind, no matter what the cost. And also, this powerful realization: if Jesus had no rights, far be it for me to hold such entitlement in my heart.

And this has been a key for me; a turning point, if you will (and I will!). Now 5 and ½ months into my pregnancy, I’ve been struggling with my sleep for most of that time. In the beginning, I was sad and angry that I was losing so much sleep, but still expected to rise to all of the challenges of the day, including raising a 1 year old. I got lots of help from wonderful moms in my life; specifically, a sweet group of women who helped me with the perspective game. With loss of sleep, God was preparing me for the sleepless nights ahead after the baby would be born. J Also, and most convicting, was that sleep was an idol for me. I had the perspective that if I just got enough sleep, I could handle my life. But that revealed my reliance on sleep, rather than my reliance on God to sustain me. It was a hard truth, but I knew it had merit.

God added the above scriptures to the mix, and I can honestly say that my heart has changed immensely with regards to how much sleep I have had by the time I wake up. So, a few tips for you, my sweet sister, if you’re going through sleepless nights:

• Practice saying “I am the Lord’s servant. May it be to me as He has said.” This is ammunition that can help your heart to catch up with your actions when God’s plan is (painfully) different from your own. If He has said “Less sleep for my daughter right now,” then so be it. Trust Him and His plan. He’s got you.
• On busy days following sleepless nights, ask God to help you to look to Him to sustain you. Pray often!
• On light days following sleepless nights, nap as much as you can!! Pray with gratitude when you wake!
• If you can’t sleep, try doing things that feed your intimacy with God, such as praying, journaling, reading the Bible or spiritual books. Also, things that help you to be grateful or excited about welcoming your baby are good options. You can share this time with God too. You can keep a journal of notes to or prayers for your unborn baby, work on the nursery, or read parenting books.
• Pray outside of the sleepless night moments that God would help you to trust His plan for you and that He would see you through. Remember, this is only for a time. The gift you are awaiting is God’s blessing and reward to you and your husband.

“Sons are a heritage from the Lord, children a reward from him.” Psalm 127:3

Here is my sweet heritage: