Matt Chandler is challenging men all across the country to start going to bed tired. In a recent sermon, the popular pastor explained why men should go to bed feeling drained and stop looking for “me time.”
“Why are men going to bed these days with so much energy?” Chandler asked. “That’s not what God designed you for. God designed you to go to bed tired.”
The Bible seems to confirm these claims — God didn’t design men (or women, for that matter) to float through life, constantly investing in “me time.” God’s plan for men is for them to find fulfillment in working for something greater than themselves. Chandler explained that this “work” includes working on a relationship with God, with one’s wife and one’s family.
Not only were men designed to go to bed tired, but they were created for labor. God intends for men to work hard and provide for their families.
But unfortunately, we live in a time where countless distractions take away from such hard work. These distractions can take away from men’s service to God, their wives, their families and their jobs.
“We lead out spiritually in our homes,” Chandler continued. “Pray and go to bed exhausted. Run out for the Kingdom of God.”
Chandler added that men were not designed to sit around, mulling over their free time. Men have been given an important role by God to lead their families spiritually, which is an immense task.
“God has not designed you for a bunch of free time. He has created you to make war and you’re punting on that,” Chandler said.
The pastor went on to warn of the dangers of a bored man, noting that “a bored man is a dangerous man.”
When a man puts all that he has into his relationship with God, his wife, and his children, he simply won’t have time to be bored, Chandler pointed out.
“There’s no room in there for dumb stuff that jams men up. Because there is the call to our wives, there’s the call to our children, there’s the call to the church, all of which must be answered,” he said.
After a long day of work, men might feel prone to walking into their home with heavy spirits, but Chandler explained that “what this weight does is push you into Jesus.”
Chandler pointed out that even as a pastor, he has to seek help and guidance from the Holy Spirit before walking into his home each day.
“I pull into the driveway and I have to ask the Holy Spirit for strength. I have to breathe, open up the car door, walk in, ask what I can serve, not measure what [my wife has] done versus what I’ve done today. Figure out how I can serve her, and check on the hearts of the children,” he said.
He added that from time to time, “I still feel like I’m going to burn out,” but the solution to his burnout is found in Christ.
“Rest is found in Christ,” Chandler stated. “Not in a nap, nor in a pina colada on the beach.”
He added that many people seek things such as vacations or time off in order to restore their bodies, yet when they return from a beach vacation they surprisingly find that they are still tired.
Why?
“They will not restore your soul the way Jesus Christ will restore your soul,” Chandler said, noting how crucial it is to offer one’s struggles of the day to Christ in prayer.
