We’ve all seen the commercials on TV. There’s someone who exhibits some horrible, gasp producing, egregious behavior, and another person looks at them with this incredulous look and asks, “How do you sleep at night?” The one with the awful behavior seems oblivious to what they are really being asked, and they respond, “On a mattress from Mattress Firm.” There are several scenarios presented in this ad campaign, and its really quite funny.
The real question though is not very funny at all. The real question is how can people sleep well after committing terrible acts? Here in the State of Texas, the legislature thought nothing of taking money away from public schools and giving it to private schools. They were challenged to put it before the voters and refused. Why? They know this is not what the majority of people would agree with. They simply wanted their way and that’s what they got. How do they sleep at night?
This same question could be asked at the federal level. The House of Representatives are poised to pass a bill which will essentially strip out over $800 million from Medicaid and some other essential programs meant to assist the most vulnerable in our society, so they can make the numbers work to give out huge tax breaks to the wealthiest among us. How do they sleep at night?
Now, its easy for me and you to look at these kinds of actions and ask the question pointed at other’s behavior and actions. But what about us? What things do we say and do where that same question could be asked of us? What rude or boorish behavior do we consciously or subconsciously exhibit that could lead another to ask us how we sleep at night?
I watched a documentary on Netflix the other night, The Quilters. The film centers on a small group of men in a maximum security prison in Missouri. They all have long sentences they are serving, and for the most part they have all been in prison for a long time already. They are part of something called the Restorative Justice Program. They have learned, and are learning, how to quilt. With donated supplies they make quilts for foster children in surrounding counties. It really was something to see what they create, and the joy they take from giving something to someone in need.
Each of the men talk a bit about what they had done to be incarcerated. They each took responsibility for their actions, and yet you can see their demeanor and know they are different people now. One of them said they have to learn to forgive themselves. That’s really hard they said. But until you forgive yourself, you can’t really change and grow. Its like love, one of them said. You can’t love anyone until you learn to love yourself.
I was struck by the sincerity of each man in their own journey into light. I was struck by their desire to provide these quilts for those who are struggling in a very harsh reality. Not only do they work to provide these quilts, they demand of themselves they be perfect. If they find something amiss, they take the whole thing apart and begin again.
Maybe there is a lesson in this for us. Many of us are trapped in a prison of our own making. We can’t seem to get beyond some act, something in our past that haunts us and keeps us chained up. How do we sleep at night? Fitfully and not very well is the answer for some. We have to learn to forgive ourselves. Forgiveness is a cornerstone of our faith in Christ. That’s what Jesus came to impart. We are loved by God, and because God loves us, God forgives us. This is really all about grace. Grace extended to us even though we don’t deserve it. In acknowledging God’s grace to us, we can find forgiveness.
It doesn’t end there. Grace is our starting point, and from there grace can move us to acts of restoration. There are actions we can engage in which move us from darkness to light. When we engage in actions to reach others in need, these are part of that grace-fueled light we all seek.
So again, how do you sleep at night? We sleep in the overwhelming love, forgiveness and grace of the God who loves us beyond what we can even know.
Your companion on the Way,
Pastor Tom