Awake In The Middle Of The Night

Here I am, awake in the middle of the night.  Since my late 30's I've had trouble sleeping through the night.  Most of the time I just toss and turn until, hopefully, I go back to sleep.  Not tonight however.  I needed to get up and focus my thinking.  I did have all of those blog posts from fellow bloggers I hadn't read yet, so off I went to dig through them for the gold nuggets of wisdom I knew I'd find.  There are so many gifted writers who have mad communication skills.  Someday, I hope to be one of them, but, for now I'm still finding my way.  The ones I enjoy the most are those that draw out my heart - unveil my innermost thoughts and longings, or even discouragements.  The best, and hardest, to read are those from writers with disabilities.  In spite of, and in the midst of their suffering, they lift up Jesus Christ and boast in their confidence in Him.  They are so transparent about their pain and challenges, and in almost the same breath, remind their readers to look to God for comfort, for peace, for hope.  It's easy to rejoice when you are not in pain, not physically limited, but try it when your head is splitting, or every joint and/or muscle is aching and nothing helps.  They are awake a lot in the middle of the night, too.  So, right now I pray for my friends, for peace, for comfort, for relief from pain, for right functioning of their bodies.  And with them, I thank God for His grace and mercy and soon-coming.