Thus the heavens and the earth, and all the host of them, were finished. And
on the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested
on the seventh day from all His work which He had done. Then
God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, because in it He rested
from all His work which God had created and made. Genesis 2:1-3
Being
brought up in Andalucia, a nap or siesta was part of our culture. When we
moved back to the United States, my parents just changed our nap time
but it was still a routine for our family. My parents were very
active at home, work, ministry, education, athletics, music, etc. so
they understood the importance of taking time to rest.
As an adult I cannot tell you how many times I have heard someone guilt another person by saying things like "Oh must be nice to be able to nap." As if naps or quiet times are not available to everyone. I really never understood that mentality but it seemed to me that they were securing meaning and worth by all their pursuits and not having to have any rest.
Resting (a nap or quiet time) is good and necessary not only for our spiritual welfare but also for our physical and mental. God gave us an example in these verses to go by and we need to listen in order to receive the blessings of a good rest!
My son's daughter Isabella posing on a statue at the zoo on our visit in 2009.
