The Daily CHEW™
Chew on God’s Love. Live Transformed. Multiply Hope.
Last night, after a day coaching a management team, doing individual sessions, helping two couples, and even discussing crypto with my kids (they’re learning early!), I finally crawled into bed. Before I could drift off, I ran my Evening Return CHEW—naming the best and hardest parts of the day in God’s presence. But my mind lingered on something a client said: “I wake up with answers. Sometimes what felt stuck last night gets solved in my dreams or a shower.”
Turns out, she’s right. Brain science confirms it: our minds work on problems while we sleep. Research shows both “aha” moments and creative solutions often emerge after periods of rest—or after a good night’s sleep. Studies have shown that sleep, especially deep (slow-wave) and REM sleep, allow the brain to restructure memories, tackle problems, and gain insight. In controlled experiments, participants who slept after facing puzzles or logic tasks were significantly more likely to solve them the next day compared to those who just stayed awake. For example, one study found that both overnight sleep and naps rich in slow-wave sleep increased the odds of problem-solving success, while other research highlights REM sleep as a sweet spot for insight and creativity. Our brains are literally designed to keep working for us—even as we rest.pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih+5
So, what if we focused our last thoughts not on our to-do lists, guilt, or worry, but on God’s personal love? How might sleep—God’s gift and design for refreshment—transform not just our bodies, but our hearts, memories, and mindset as we rest in Him?
How to Focus on God’s Love as You Fall Asleep:
A Simple Bedtime Practice
- Breathe Deeply three times, intentionally slowing down and remembering: God’s love is here, even as I rest.
- Adore: Whisper, “Father, You love me right now, before I accomplish another thing.”
- Confess: “What am I still anxious, hopeful, or heavy about tonight?” Name it honestly, without self-condemnation.
- Hear: Recall a single promise—“You grant sleep to those You love” (Psalm 127:2). “He who watches over you will not slumber.” (Psalm 121:3)
- Exchange: Ask, “If it’s true God is actively loving and working for my good tonight, how would I fall asleep differently?” You might exchange worry for trust. “Father, as I sleep, I trust You to keep working—on my heart, my problems, even in ways I can’t see.”
- Walk (Rest): Practice letting your last waking thought be, “I am safe, loved, and kept as I sleep.” If your mind turns to undone tasks, gently return to this truth.
- Thanksgiving & Worship: Thank God that sleep is His gift, and that this night, you are held—body, mind, and soul—by unchanging love.
Let yourself ponder—even as you drift toward sleep: How might God meet me tonight, right where striving ends and rest begins? What might He want to renew or whisper as I rest in His love?
Remember: Growth isn’t instant. Every honest return to God is a win. God is far more delighted by your trust than by your perfection.
CHEW On This™:
If I really believed God’s love is active, sustaining, and full of delight even as I sleep, how would that change the way I end my day, surrender my anxieties, and receive rest?
Return, Repeat, Share
Don’t walk this alone. Practice the CHEW tomorrow—or with a trusted triad. Invite Gospel friends into your “return” as a way of building a culture of celebration rather than exhaustion.
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Chew on God’s Love. Live Transformed. Multiply Hope.
Peer-Reviewed Science Reference Links:
- Memory and Sleep: How Sleep Cognition Can Change the Waking Mind (PMC)
- Sleep Facilitates Problem Solving With No Additional Gain Through Targeted Memory Reactivation
- Creativity—the unconscious foundations of the incubation period (Frontiers in Human Neuroscience)
- Sleep onset is a creative sweet spot (Science Advances/PMC)
- To sleep, perchance to gain creative insight? (Walker Lab/MIT Press)
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