I don't disagree...and because of it am feeling a bit guilty.
For some reason it was important to stay up late to find out if Brad and Emily would end up together and why they have been so challenged in their relationship since it officially began. And since I didn't even begin to watch this "important" until after 10:00....
I'm tired this morning because of it and guilty.
John's sermon on "Redeeming Time, from sleep" is about just that, sleep; getting enough of it, and only enough, because too much is dangerous to body, mind and soul.
One of the things I love about John Wesley is his practicality. He saw the importance of living the faith and sought for himself and his parish (the whole world) the faithful daily practice thereof...even if it meant steering clear of the guilty pleasure of sleeping in.
It's not that simple pleasures are bad in themselves, like eating a couple of (boxes of) Girl Scout cookies or watching a (few) NCAA Basketball game during Lent, but that the simple pleasures can quickly become habits that waste valuable time that could be spent loving God more fully.
While it is true that most of us could spend more time with God daily, it is also true that we should not deny ourselves of all things pleasurable or worldly. We live as with a foot in the world and a foot in heaven, and therefore must carefully and mindfully travel that narrow road that leads from here to there; that each step should be carefully planned and taken.
It's a journey toward holiness (and wholeness) that requires self-denial, or more specifically, careful choices in what we do, how we spend our time, our sleep, our leisure.
Yes, we can get whatever sleep we need. We can even watch March Madness while eating a box of Girl Scout Cookies, but only as long as we keep to our self-imposed Lenten disciplines and keep our love of God first and foremost in all our practices. Because that's what gives us the life we need anyway!
Peace ><>
pc
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