Daylight Saving Sabbath-izing

Was it deliberate or just a fluke that the beginning of March Break aligned with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time?  If it was intentional, the person who planned it is a genius.  Kids get to sleep in today.  Teachers get to sleep in today.  The rest of us?  Well, suck it up, buttercup.  We plod on, chasing away left-over weariness with coffee.  Or two.

I’ve tried unsuccessfully to find the source of the quote, “Sometimes the most godly thing you can do is take a nap.”  Whoever said it, that person was also a genius and a very good theologian.

The physiological benefits of napping are well documented.  Naps help restore our physical and emotional well-being.  We have all experienced (and probably regretted) the reality of being hangry, or of decisions made while irritable, or of forgetting to do something because there was no gas in the tank.  We hate it when that happens.

Let’s think for a moment on a broader spectrum.  Since the physiological benefits are well documented, could there also be spiritual benefits?  Yes - and in fact, it is a more than just “beneficial;” it is good stewardship.

As integral beings, it is impossible to separate the material from the immaterial.  The physical and spiritual do not simply coexist.  They are intrinsically united together as a whole.  Our spiritual well-being cannot be dissected from our physical and emotional well-being.  If one is out of whack, it will affect the others.  Napping can be a physical, emotional, and spiritual activity - all at the same time.

It is not uncommon to associate “Sabbath” with “napping.”  The idea of a day of rest aligns well with the idea of physical restoration.  There can be a valid connection there, but we do ourselves a significant disservice if we limit our concept of Sabbath to a “Sunday afternoon nap.”

Sourced in the seventh day of God’s creative activities, the Sabbath is described as a “day of rest.”  Over the centuries, this has come to be equated with “no non-essential work.”  Unfortunately, this is a rather limited view of God’s intended purpose.  Jesus frequently found Himself in conflict with the religious leaders of His day over their interpretation of what was or was not an acceptable activity on the Sabbath.  Jesus commented that “the Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27).

There are actually several types of “Sabbaths” - the weekly one (every Saturday), the Festival Sabbaths (celebrating various events in Israel’s history), the annual Sabbaths (every seventh year) and the Year of Jubilee (every fiftieth year).  All these Sabbaths had these common purposes.  The first was to remember it is God who provides all we need as we practice good stewardship of His resources.  Second, that everything - including His image bearers - need regular times of refreshing.  Finally, that God’s blessings are reminders of the joy of being in relationship with Him and His goodness is to be enjoyed.

When Moses notes that “God rested and saw that it was good,” he was not offering an editorial approval that God had a good work ethic that met the latest standards of quality control.  He was saying (as best as be expressed in human terms) that God found joy and pleasure in His creative acts.  The Sabbath is intended for us to also find pleasure and joy in the creation of God - something we cannot do if we are constantly battling fatigue or are driven by an insatiable appetite for accumulating more.

“Rest” is not just taking a break.  It is the intentional choice to recognize our dependence on God.  It is embracing the truth that we must be good stewards of the resources and opportunities God gives us.  To do more and to accumulate more is not always the best - or godly - course of action.  To “Sabbath-ize” means we regularly and frequently take time to nurture our gratitude and appreciation for what God is doing.  We feel the reality of this dependence on God when we step off the hamster-wheel of production, pause, and look for the divine fingerprints of grace.  Often, this is counter-intuitive.  Always, it is a good thing to do.

With the inauguration of the New Covenant, the old structures of “Sabbath-izing” are gone.  However, the principles of sensitizing ourselves to our dependence on God (Phil. 4:19), being content with His provision (1 Tim. 6:6-8), and faithful stewardship (1 Cor. 4:2) continue.

Feeling buzzy-frained on this Monday morning?  Try Sabbath-izing to refresh the heart, mind, and soul.  A good nap is a gift from God!