Tossing and Turning

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wo o’clock in the morning is not a pleasant time to be awakened from a sound sleep, especially for no apparent reason.  And yet, there I was, wide awake, alert, and trying to figure out why I was staring at the ceiling instead of the inside of my eyelids.  The house was still, no one was stirring, and the only sound was the muffled ticking of the clock as its pendulum swung steadily back and forth.

Slowly I became aware that the blankets and the bed sheets were not in the same arrangement as they had been several hours earlier when I retired for the evening. Instead of being neatly draped over the bed and tucked in on the sides, they were twisted around my legs and feet in a most interesting and perplexing knot.  Any attempted move on my part caused the bedclothes to become entangled all the more around my body.

The entire source of the problem stemmed from the fact that the sheets and blanket on one side of the bed had pulled free while the covers on the remaining side were still firmly tucked between the mattress and the box spring.  Had this half of the sheets pulled loose, I would have continued to sleep, unfettered and unhindered.  However, because half of the sheets were still tucked under the mattress, I found myself fighting against the covers.  The more I struggled, the greater my challenge to get a good night’s sleep.

In Hebrews 12:1 we find these words, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” Please notice the last part of this passage.  We are told in no uncertain terms that sin wraps itself around us, invading every area of our lives, effectively entangling us in its web.  The result of sin in the life of the believer is evident. It prevents him from running the race God has set before him.

Like the covers on my bed that were half loose and half secure, sin prevents us from resting.  There is always an internal conflict because we are constantly struggling and wrestling with sin. As long as it remains the chosen way of life, there is no rest, there is no peace, and there is no assurance in our lives.  Only when we choose to turn away from sin and accept Jesus Christ as our savior and lord are able to experience the “peace that passes all understanding” (Philippians 4:7).

After I understood the problem with my bed covers, I corrected it.  I freed the sheets and the blanket from underneath my mattress.  I was then able to move freely and throughout the rest of the evening I slept peacefully.  Not once did I wake up to find the sheets and the blanket wrapped around me and my bed didn’t resemble a battlefield when I got up the next morning. 

Jesus wants to do the same in our personal walk with him.  He wants his followers to know that true freedom can be found in him.  Through his grace, his mercy, and his sacrifice, we find the ability to throw off the mantle of sin that entangles us and prevents us from running a victorious race.

Are you tired of tossing and turning in your spiritual life?  Are you longing for the peace that only God can give?  If so, remember the lesson of the bed covers.  As long as we hold on to any area of sin in our lives, we will have struggle and conflict and peace will never come.  However, when we allow God to remove all the sin form our lives, when we relinquish our lives to him, he can and will give us his peace and the ability to run life’s race in such a way that we win the prize!