“No, Daddy! Noooooo! Please no! Don’t take a nap! PLEEEEASE! Don’t take a nap!”

Nine-year old Megan lay spread eagle across the bed, trying to prevent her father from laying down as she pleaded with him in a loud voice. “I hate it when you take naps! Don’t take a nap, Daddy! Please don’t take a nap!”

Jon gently shoved her to the side and lay down anyway. “It’s just for a little while, Megan. I’m not going anywhere. I’m just going to lay right here.”

And as Jon closed his eyes, Megan crossed her arms and stomped off to her room.

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During the time Jon and I were dating, I heard many stories like this, both from Jon and from Megan. It seemed to be a repetitive scenario that played out again and again in their home.

Jon told me how Megan hated naps, practically from the time she was a young baby. He said he would lay down next to her when she was a tiny toddler, using his arm to gently pin her down, making her take a nap with him. “No wonder she hates naps, Jon,” I would say in a mildly amused manner.

Often, Jon mentioned how even as a child he was known for napping. Once he fell sound asleep in the backseat of his mother’s car on the ride home from school … a ride that was approximately 3 city blocks total and took less than five minutes to drive.  Another time, he shared how on family trips he would climb up into the back dash of his father’s big car and sleep to pass the time. This was, of course, long before seatbelt laws were in effect.

I heard all these stories while dating Jon, but I figured they were exaggerations. That is until I started experiencing Jon’s napping for myself.

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Jon and I had been dating nearly a year when my birthday rolled around. He invited me to come spend the day with him and the plan was to go antique shopping. I arrived at his home around 9:30 am and we quickly headed out for what I assumed would be a day of leisurely browsing in several stores. By the time we were eating lunch, Jon said, “Do you mind if we go back home so that I can lay down for a while? I’m feeling tired. I think a short nap might help.”

Reluctantly, I agreed. After all, I knew Jon was ill (though at the time I had no idea it was a serious heart infection). But still, it was aggravating as his short nap turned into a two hour nap fest. I really understood how Megan felt!

Still, somehow I was convinced that once Jon had recovered from his illness, the napping would stop.

I was wrong … four years later, Jon still loves napping.

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Jon and I often joke that if there was an Olympic event for napping, he would have the gold medal all wrapped up. The man can nap anywhere, anytime, in just about any situation.

He naps in cars (thankfully not when he is driving), on planes, and I’m sure if he were given the chance he would nap on a train as well. He is able to sleep sitting up, reclined or lying in a more typical prone position. He has no problems sleeping while fully dressed, even with his shoes on his feet. Jon likes morning naps, afternoon naps, and even catnaps after dinner. He has napped on floors, in parked cars, and doctor’s offices.

Truly,for Jon, napping is not a problem.

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Megan hates naps of all kinds, but mostly she hates her father’s naps.

Personally I don’t mind the occasional Sunday afternoon nap, but I’m definitely not as fond of napping as my husband. In fact, I detest many of his favorite naps, such as the after-dinner-in-the-recliner nap or the interminably long Saturday afternoon nap (especially when my to-do list is a long as my arm). I’m sad to admit that more often than not, I only begrudgingly allow my husband to take a nap, while I wait for him to wake up, my arms crossed and my bottom lip poked out in a petulant pout.

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As I was writing this blog post, I remembered that God rested. He created the world and then He took a rest. God, who does not sleep or slumber, does everything with a purpose, so the fact that He rested is  huge.

Rest is good for the human soul. We need time to relax from our work efforts, in order to give our minds and bodies a chance to rejuvenate. Looking at it from this perspective, even Megan and I must admit that taking a nap here or there really isn’t such a bad idea after all.

But please, we beg you … don’t tell Jon.

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By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. ~Genesis 2:2

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.”  ~Matthew 11:28

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This post is part of the 2015 A-to-Z Blogging Challenge. If you are visiting due to that, thanks so much for popping in to read today’s post. I hope you will leave me a comment so that I can return the visit to your blog. I love to connect with other bloggers and readers. If you are a regular reader, I hope you’ll stick with me during April when I blog about the stories of my faith.