Like Drinking and Driving, Melatonin and Prayer Don't Mix

Have you ever done something without thinking about it. I mean really not think about it. Something that you can't take back. Yea, I did that tonight.

Between prayer tonight at 10pm and my prayer "shifts" from 12-3a, I did something, with the best of intentions. I took a 5mg Melatonin pill. For those that are unaware of what the heck melatonin is, it is the naturally occurring chemical in most living things that regulate sleep.

This pill is 5mg. A small little dinker. No big deal.

Wrong.

So, getting to this stupid thing I did...

Knowing I wouldn't be able to immediately fall asleep at 10:05pm, I decided, "Hey. This will help me out a bit." Yea, Chris, no further thought needed. So I popped it in my mouth, swallowed and ten seconds later..."Ahhh. Dang it! That wasn't smart. That wasn't smart AT ALL!

I had neglected to realize that I had elected to not sleep for forty minutes (if possible) and power through the night. I would also most likely would still feel the effects of the pill.

I had NO idea it would have been this difficult.

Here's the kicker: The amount of melatonin produced by the body in a day is, get this, 0.1 mg. It's a real shame that I just ingested 5000% of the daily allotment.

I thought about forcibly removing from my body (inducing vomit) but for some reason, I wanted to challenge myself. That was probably the pill talking.

Praying effectively when accidentally and overly-drowsy isn't very effective at all.

I tried to pray through Scripture to keep my mind alert. Ironically, I turned to Matthew 26 and my eyes fell to verse 36...


Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, "Sit here while I go over there and pray." He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, "My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me."
Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, "My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will."
Then he returned to his disciples and found them sleeping. "Could you men not keep watch with me for one hour?" he asked Peter. "Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."
He went away a second time and prayed, "My Father, if it is not possible for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done."
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the third time, saying the same thing.
Then he returned to the disciples and said to them, "Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Rise, let us go! Here comes my betrayer!"

How hilarious...