Today, I am going to share a new book with you that I was told about by a good friend of mine. That friend is Jay, my barber for about the last 30 years, and I know a few of you also know him. At my monthly appointment with him before we left for DC, he told me about 3 books he had read recently with his adult son. One of those books was titled Why We Sleep with the subtitle Unlocking the Power of Sleep and Dreams. The book was written by Matthew Walker, Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at UC Berkeley, and was published in 2017. The book was a NY Times bestseller, as well as recognized by numerous other leading book reviewers.
The book shares the following Amazing Breakthrough!
Scientists have discovered a revolutionary new treatment that makes you live longer. It enhances your memory and makes you more creative. It makes you look more attractive. It keeps you slim and lowers food cravings. It protects you from cancer and dementia. It wards off colds and the flu. It lowers your risk of heart attacks and stroke, not to mention diabetes. You’ll even feel happier, less depressed, and less anxious. Are you interested?
Matthew then follows this “commercial” with the following:
While it may sound hyperbolic, nothing about this fictitious advertisement would be inaccurate. If it were for a new drug, many people would be disbelieving. Those who were convinced would pay large sums of money for even the smallest dose. Should clinical trials back up the claims, share prices of the pharmaceutical company that invented the drug would skyrocket.
Of course, the ad is not describing some miracle new cure-all wonder drug, but rather the proven benefits of a full night of sleep. The evidence supporting these claims has been documented in more than 17,000 well-scrutinized reports to date. As for the prescription cost, well there isn’t one. It’s free. Yet all too often, we shun the nightly invitation to receive our full dose of this all-natural remedy – with terrible consequences.
The point I want to make today is that I hear from many people who say or write that they have a difficult time getting a good night’s sleep in today’s world. We are so consumed with bad news being given to us all day every day, along with our worries about our children being consumed by electronic communications instead of just playing with their friends, worrying about evil, hatred, and wars going on throughout the world, and about the future possibilities for our families. Yes, there is plenty we can worry about if that is our choice.
I want to make one additional point in this message. In the past year or so, I have told you about God’s intricate plans for so much of our life. I shared with you God’s plan for the annual migration pattern for the Monarch butterfly, the benefits we reap from the regular “super moons” that appear in our sky, and details on the precision God has used to rotate our incredibly large and complex planet at the very precise tilt rate and speed that allows our world to sustain us daily and thoughout all the seasons of the year. Max Lucado, who provided the details I used regarding our planet rotation, then asks – If He is able to place the stars in their sockets and suspend the sky like a curtain, do you think it is remotely possible that God is able to guide your life? If your God is mighty enough to ignite the sun, could it be that He is mighty enough to light your path?
Next week I will share with you the sleep plan benefits offered by God, if only we decide to trust Him with our lives, in spite of what may be going on all around us! I hope I have enticed you enough to look forward to next week’s TGIF message!