45 Second Power Nap

“Come to Me, all of you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. All of you, take up My yoke and learn from Me, because I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for yourselves. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” - Matthew 11:28-30

Have you had one of those naps, even if it was for three minutes, you wake up and feel like you are a different person? You feel renewed, refreshed, and recharged? I don’t take naps often. I should, but I don’t, simply because I have a lot on my mind and a lot to do, or simply because when I take a nap (especially on a Sunday), I will take a 2-3 hour nap…wake up…and won’t be able to go back to sleep until 1:00 or 2:00 AM. Anyways…statistics say that a five minute nap is better for you than an hour nap. 

This past Saturday, Lindsey and myself went to Short Pump Mall in Richmond, VA, with her parents. It was Lindsey’s birthday on Thursday, so she got some money to shop with…so she did. We spent an entire day of shopping…and when I say entire day, I mean “too much shopping for a man in a day.” Let’s face it, men hate to shop. It’s in our genes. It comes natural for us to not enjoy shopping…unless it’s for a new sports car with a five speed manual transmission, or a new bass boat, or a new four wheeler. Now that’s man shopping right there! My father-in-law and myself found two comfortable chairs sitting outside of Forever 21, so we decided to take a seat while Lindsey and her mom went shopping. We sat down and did exactly what a man does…pulls out his phone and goes to ESPN.com to follow College Football games. It was a glorious time, but I all of a sudden became tired. I ended up dozing off in that chair. I woke up and said, “wow…I feel great! How long was I asleep for?” My father-in-law looks at me with a chuckle and says, “About 45 seconds.” Man…I felt like I was asleep for about an hour. I felt amazing. Just those short 45 seconds I was asleep, refreshed me for the rest of the day. 

The same thing goes for our spiritual lives. We have a spiritual tank inside of us. If you go for too long on the interstate without any gas, you will eventually break down and be stranded. When spending time with God, you want to worry more about quality. Your quality time with God…whether it’s for an hour…30 minutes…or even 45 seconds…can make a huge impact on your day. I know for me, that 45 seconds I slept, rejuvenated me enough to look at 6:00 PM and kick it in the face and make it home without drinking anymore coffee. If you go days without spending time with the Lord, you won’t make it. For me, I try to get up every morning, before the sun comes up, and spend time with God…pray…and take time to see what He wants for the day. For Andy Stanley, he says, “sometimes I read 5 minutes, sometimes I read for 2 hours. I read until God speaks, and when He speaks, I stop reading and think about what He said the rest of that day.” For Dr. Ronnie Floyd, he says, “God challenged me to spend one hour a day with Him before the sun came up. That changed my life.” What about if you wake up late and are running late for work…what do you do? Do not not spend time with Him. If you have five minutes, give those five minutes to Him. Going even a day without talking with God and reading His Word, can do great harm to our lives. If we miss those times with Him, we are missing out on our greatest relationship we can ever have. 

When I was in college, I use to always think that I had to go to one place and one place only to meet with God, so one morning, I got up early, and walked to the middle of Lee University’s campus, and picked a bench under a tree and for the next duration of that semester, I would go to that exact spot to read and pray. If that’s you, then that’s fine. Go for it! I know for King David, he writes in the Psalms and says, “Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there” (Psalm 139:7-8). Anywhere you want to go to spend time with God, do it! God is everyone! God will meet you whenever and wherever, but when we miss out on those times with Him, your day might as well be shot. Never miss an opportunity to spend time with the Almighty God. He will change your life. You might not understand what you’re going through right now, but I promise you this, there is someone out there that is going through, or will go through the same stuff you have gone through, and you will be the breath of fresh air for them. 

What will you do with your extra hour…30 minutes…or 45 seconds in a day? Give God your time, and He will give you His heart.