Buildup and Sleeplessness

Okay, so I've had A LOT going on in my head the last week that I wanted to journal about, but never got around to writing out... unfortunately, some of it must have "spilled out" of my head and the rest of it is so compacted together that it may take a while to get it all out in a comprehensible way. It also doesn't help when the only reason I am able to write right now is that my kids are watching a tv show. :-/

You know God's teaching you something when a certain phrase keeps coming to your mind and finally the day comes when you realize that it's no longer a challenge AND you've got a completely different outlook. For instance, up until the last week or so, I've been struggling so hard with the concept of getting enough sleep -ever since I got pregnant: over 3 years ago. :-p  I've always "understood" the reasons for getting 8 hours of sleep and suffering the consequences of getting less than at least 6 hours at night. I guess I took it so literally that it was causing me to become bitter against my children, cross with those I lived with, and to live with a sort of "chip on my shoulder" against the world that I was not getting my "entitled" amount of sleep. Then I came across a passage while attempting to curb my anger/frustration attitude:

2 Corinthians 6: 1-10

And working together with Him, we also urge you not to receive the grace of God in vain - for He says, "At the Acceptable Time I listened to you, And on the Day of Salvation I helped you." Behold, now is "the Acceptable Time," behold, now is "the Day of Salvation" - giving no cause for offense in anything, so that the ministry will not be discredited, but in everything commending ourselves as servants of God, in much endurance, in afflictions, in hardships, in distresses, in beatings, in imprisonments, in tumults, in labors, in sleeplessness, in hunger, in purity, in knowledge, in patience, in kindness, in the Holy Spirit, in genuine love, in the word of truth, in the power of God; by the weapons of righteousness for the right hand and the left, by glory and dishonor, by evil report and good report; regarded as deceivers and yet true; as unknown yet well-known, as dying yet behold, we live; as punished yet not put to death, as sorrowful yet always rejoicing, as poor yet making many rich, as having nothing yet possessing all things.

The fact that the Scriptures mentioned sleeplessness as something that we would have to endure was of GREAT encouragement and motivation for changing my attitude. ...the funniest outcome of this is that I've found myself waking up after only 6 hours of sleep, regardless of what time I went to bed or the amount of times the girls woke up in the night/morning. I'm fully rested (though I can sleep more if possible) and am completely accepting of the fact that I am "enduring sleeplessness" to the glory of God! My "calling" right now is to raise the children that He saw fit to bless me with, and with it comes the times of sleeplessness.  In fact, the verse later says to be "always rejoicing" knowing that we are being listened to and helped by God of grace. All praise be to Him! =)