While experiencing college, I discovered sleep was overrated. During my sophomore year, I averaged five hours tops. However, in the few spare moments that I had, I began to indulge in short naps, laying down for 15 to 30 minutes before resuming homework. Subsequently, a strange phenomena occurred, waking up with a burst of energy as if I had slept for hours.
All the sailors were afraid and each cried out to his own god. And they threw the cargo into the sea to lighten the ship. But Jonah had gone below deck, where he lay down and fell into a deep sleep, Jonah 1:5.
Although the experts claim individuals are at their best when having 8 hours of sleep per night, naps serve as a good alternative. On the flip side, sleep can also act as a diversion, especially if someone is struggling with depression or merely attempting to escape reality. Running away from God on a boat heading toward Tarshish, hurricane force winds caused the ship he was on to fill with water, Jonah 1:3-4. Napping in the hull, this short rest prepared Jonah for a three day adventure inside a whale.
Jesus got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm, Mark 4:39.
Meanwhile, others use naps to test individuals, seeing whether or not pupils can survive on their own. Thus, Jesus napped during the Bible’s White Squall, waiting to see how his disciples would respond. Screaming like little girls in a haunted house, the twelve disciples woke up Jesus, assuming they were going to drown. Unfazed, Jesus’ power nap allowed him to calm this storm with a few words. Beyond the realm of sleep, an invisible force called the Holy Spirit is waiting for God’s children to get plugged into. When and if Christians do, perhaps they too can experience the surge from a power nap,
by Jay Mankus
ExpressYourself4Him 