My buddy, John, is a very positive person.
He told me so himself today via text message.
John: I’m a positive person. Positive for Covid as of today.
Me: How do you feel? Other than “with your hands.”
Yeah, that’s the kind of friendship we have.
Because of the nature of our friendship, I’m skipping a few of the texts (feel free to use your imagination) and picking up a few minutes later.
J: I just drank some hot tea and now I think it’s nap time.
G: One of may favorite times of day.
J: Yup. Normally just Sundays.
G: I only nap on days that end with “y.”
J: I’ll try that.
G: It’s a good plan.
This Labor Day weekend has been a full, glorious weekend at home with no specific responsibilities except church on Sunday. I had some things I wanted to get done around the house and I managed to get a little done on them.
I also managed a nap on Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday.
Naps are good for both body and soul. I’m telling you the truth here. I take naps for the same reason I drink coffee (ironic, isn’t it?)—because I’m so much nicer when I do.
Seriously, I think we should listen to our bodies when they tell us they’re tired as much as we do when they tell us they’re hungry.
Another of my friends just returned from Army reserve duty in South Korea. He posted on Facebook yesterday that he might get over jet lag faster if he hadn’t taken a 6 hour nap after church on Sunday.
Much to my pleasure, none of the replies I saw gave him advice on getting over jet lag faster. They all affirmed that his body needed to recover.
A nap is not a sign of a bad work ethic. Quite the contrary, a nap may be a sign of a healthy work ethic that understands rhythms of work, rest, and play.
It may be a sign that we’re growing in a wholistic approach to life—coming to grasp the reality that we’re not simply worker bees who measure our lives by accomplishment, performance, and accumulation.
Maybe the fact that we can pause without pressure in the middle of the day and deliberately cease to be productive for a few minutes is evidence that we’ve come to understand that enjoying the life God has given us is just as much a part of His purpose for us as is doing the work to which He has called us.
I suppose I should clarify that I don’t take a nap every day. Sometimes the day’s schedule does not allow it.
And that’s ok.
There’s nothing wrong with being busy.
There’s something desperately wrong with wearing busyness and exhaustion as a badge of honor.
So what really matters is the deliberate pause—a nap, a cup of coffee, a walk, a few deep breaths—that reminds us that God is near.
Especially on days that end in Y.
Be amazing today, my friend.
