It’s Sunday afternoon, and I am up from my nap. A nap is my greatest ambition on Sunday afternoons. After a busy morning corralling pre-schoolers and Kindergarteners in Sunday School, a nap is usually mandatory. In fact, Sunday naps are such a family ritual that my children probably think “Thou shalt nap” is one of the Ten Commandments. Not that they actually fall asleep during our traditional Sunday nap times anymore. But usually they read or play quietly in their rooms so that those of us who still need naps can sleep in peace.

Sabbath rest is biblical, of course, but I used to feel guilty about my naps. I used to think that napping on Sunday meant I was lazy and unproductive. And it is true that when I take a long, long nap, that’s just how I feel when I wake up. Sluggish. Lazy. Unproductive.

But when I take a short nap — what my dad calls a “power nap” — I usually wake up feeling refreshed and energized. This actually leads to my being more productive the rest of the day, which is a good thing.

Evidently, I’m not the only one who feels this way about naps. Blogger Michael Hyatt shares the many benefits of napping as well as guidelines for napping in his post “5 Reasons Why You Should Take a Nap Everyday.”  Read it and sleep!