Don’t Forget the Nap
Insights From Vacation Bible School
Resting Is Trusting
The Nap I Didn’t Want
“A nap? No way!”
That’s exactly what went through my head when Miss Marla said it was nap time at Vacation Bible School.
We’d been cutting, pasting, painting, and eating paste—life was good! Why stop now?
So I didn’t. I tossed and turned, sang to myself, pulled a few pigtails, and generally made sure no one within ten feet could rest either.
By the end of the day, I was cranky, irritable, and unbearable.
The fun I’d worked so hard to hold onto had vanished.
Turns out, refusing to rest will do that.
Resting Is Trusting
I’d love to say I learned that lesson once and for all in kindergarten—but I didn’t.
Even now, I catch myself living the same way.
If I’m not producing, I feel unworthy.
If I’m not busy, I feel behind.
If I’m not in motion, I fear I’m missing something.
But every time I push through exhaustion, I end up depleted—physically, emotionally, spiritually.
It’s as if God whispers, “Are you ready to learn this again?”
Rest isn’t laziness; it’s trust.
When we rest, we’re saying, “God, I trust You enough to stop striving.”
Jesus modeled it perfectly. He slept through storms, withdrew from crowds, and took time to be alone with the Father. His rest wasn’t retreat—it was renewal.
The Rhythm of Grace
We were created for rhythm—work and rest, movement and stillness, inhale and exhale.
Without rest, life becomes static and strained.
Sabbath isn’t God’s suggestion to slow us down; it’s His invitation to heal us.
When I rest, I remember I’m not the one holding the world together.
He is.
And when I trust that truth, peace replaces pressure.
Reflection
Where are you running on empty because you’ve resisted rest?
What might change if you saw rest as worship, not weakness?
How could pausing become your greatest act of trust this week?
Prayer