I used to bring everything to bed with me. Everything from my ipod, computer, magazines, and other random junk I didn’t need. I fell into this pattern without even knowing it. Come to find out, it was a huge mistake. Everything that I did in the day went to bed with me and when I got up it was right there staring at me in the face. I never got up feeling refreshed. I saw everything from yesterday on the night stand in the morning. The bible says, “At the end of the day when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.” This might just be one of the best biblical practices that is overlooked. Here’s some help to get you started.
- Get rid of your television in your bedroom. Seriously, chuck that thing out the window. You not need it to fall asleep. When you fall asleep to the T.V. you’re going to bed with the world. Television is for watching on the couch, not for falling asleep to. Television in the bedroom interferes with your relationship with your wife and your Savior. Bethany and I have had some of the best conversations laying in bed at the end of the night. Jesus and I have had even better talks after dark.
- Get rid of your alarm clock. Use the one you have on your cell phone (after all, you charge it at night anyway) and flip it over so you can’t see the light. Not having a huge clock staring at you in the face at night can help you forget about time and focus on other things (like sleeping or the love of your life lying next to you). Don’t worry, you’ll remember time exists when your cell phone alarm goes off in the morning.
- Go to bed early with a good book or your bible twenty to thirty minutes before your bedtime. Reading helps you settle down and focus. The Bible helps to put your mind at ease. Bethany always washes her face before she goes to bed which gives me about twenty minutes to reflect on Christ and His word.
Practice makes perfect. Work on this stuff slowly until it becomes a habit. Put your ipod away, shut off the T.V., kill media and popular culture for awhile. At the end of the day when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent.
-Jordan
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