Tuesday Treats is my newly created category for things my kids say or do that make me slow down to reflect. Sometimes they ask such great questions or make such profound connections that it’s good to capture their insights. (As an aside: I’ve noticed that a lot of these great moments happen at the end of the day when I’m snuggling with them.)

Here’s this Tuesday’s installment.

The scene: Me and Caleb chatting in his bunk as I tuck him in for the night. The conversation: “Mom, how will we ever get to sleep in heaven? You know, because it’s so bright because God is there and we won’t need the sun because of His light? You know?” “Well, buddy, that’s a good question. I guess I never really thought about that specific thing.” Silent pause for both of us. “Mom, do you think if we got a big enough blanket we could put it over Him and that would hide the light for a little bit so that we could sleep? Probably not, I guess. I mean, how would we ever get a blanket that big?”

Just the other day I was listening to another mom talk about how hard it is to carve out time for teaching her kids the Bible. She wondered if it could ever really happen. The truth is, I relate to her struggle. Between school, homework, their extra-curricular events, and the basic demands of life, most of the minutes are already spoken for. Sometimes I’m just happy that everyone is fed, clothed and in their right mind (relatively speaking)!

But, it got me thinking. Thinking about how hard it has been for me to get out of bed early for time alone to read and pray. These last few days it has been taking every ounce of will-power to follow-thru and get up. It’s still cold and dark when the alarm goes off. My bed is warm and cozy. And, rest is a good thing, I reason. That makes it even harder to get up.

That would all be well and good if I were just physical. If I were just a physical body, then getting my family fed and clothed would be enough. Staying warm in my bed and getting an extra hour of sleep would be the sensible thing to do.

Trouble is, I’m not just physical. But do I really believe that? Do I truly believe that the spirtual is just as real as the physical? That in reality I am not just flesh and bones, needing only food, water, shelter, and sleep? That feeding my soul is just as important (dare I say, more so) than feeding my body?

Oh, I know I say believe it. And, truly I am convinced. I know that I want to live in light of eternity, not just for the 50 or so years I might have left here. But, in my day to day experience do I really embrace  the reality of the spiritual world? I should.

The truth is, my need is far greater than another hour of sleep. The truth is, my soul is parched and full of longing. The truth is, my heart is weary from trying to be faithful but always feeling “behind” in life. The truth is, I am created in the image of God and I will find real rest and satisfaction in being with Him. The Bible speaks of living water. That’s what (Who, really) I need to quench my thirst. Another hour of sleep would refuel my body but it wouldn’t refresh my heart and my soul.

Don’t get me wrong. I definitely NEED rest. I’m just wondering if the spiritual kind is too easily overlooked because it’s not so outwardly demanding. Both for me and for my kids.

And, of course, getting up an hour before the kids begin to stir doesn’t ensure that I’ll really feast on the riches of God’s Word. Or that it will make my relationship with Him seem more real at every moment of the day. But, it sure is a good place to start.

I’ll end with this quote by John Piper that has further spurred my thoughts. He says it better than I do anyway . . . “Entering the day without a serious meeting with God over His Word and in prayer, is like entering a battle without tending to your weapons. It’s like taking a trip without filling the tires with air or the tank with gas. The human heart does not replenish itself with sleep. The body does, but not the heart. The spiritual leaks from our tires, and the gas is consumed in the day. We replenish our hearts not with sleep, but with the Word of God and with prayer.”