As the end of the summer draws near, many of you will have to face the (perhaps) dreaded reality of going back to school. With this comes the reality of heightened responsibility, a busier schedule, and greater demand on your life. In my days of school, the magic word has always been “balance”. That is, how is one to strike a balance between all of the responsibilities that vie for our time? I am not sure that anyone knows how to answer this question sufficiently. Almost without fail, when life gets busy, something important takes the back seat. And for many of us who are students, that thing in the back seat is sleep. How are we as Christians to think of this thing called sleep? I simply want to offer three main thoughts for you to consider as you approach the upcoming semester of school and the blessing of sleep.

Sleep and Health

Students who deal with the character flaw (i.e., sin) of perfectionism may struggle with making time in their busy schedules for sleep. They are oftentimes overly meticulous with their school work and are willing to sacrifice just about anything (including sleep) in order to make the grade. “All-nighters”–those 24+ hour marathon study sessions that require several pots of coffee to get one through the night–are a common practice for these types of students. In effect, they are functioning as practical gnostics as they focus on the immaterial to the neglect of the material; that is, they give attention to the development of their minds while failing to maintain the health of their bodies. While Paul places greater emphasis on the cultivation of our souls, he also emphasizes the value of training and maintaining the health of our bodies (1 Tim 4:8). Friends, while studying is certainly important, don’t neglect your bodies by neglecting your duty and privilege to sleep. [...]