Being Refreshed

After a week of intense activity surrounding Joel's wedding, Joanie and I spent a day doing, well, nothing-just getting refreshed. There is a great deal that goes on when you do "nothing". For instance, today I got up around 9:00 or so. That meant that I got about 7 or 8 hours of sleep (we went out last night and ate a late dinner and caught an even later movie - one that ended around midnight). After getting less than 4 hours sleep the previous two nights and then driving 5 hours + to get back to Indiana, I was very tired. So, after checking emails and doing some reading and basic work on the computer, I took a nap. Is there anything more refreshing than a nap? What a joy. Don't tell me that doing "nothing" is not enjoyable!
After getting up from my nap I read about fantasy football. Ah, what a joy. It's almost football season. Players are reporting to summer camp. Preseason games are on the horizon. And the Fantasy Football Draft in fast approaching (If any of the folks who play Fantasy Football are reading, Draft Day is planned for Labor Day Monday). Fantasy Football has become a wonderful diversion from the hustle and bustle of ministry over the years. It may seem like nothing to read about football, but it refreshes me.
Doing nothing is what rejuvenate the body - we call it sleep. It refreshes the soul. As a matter of fact, the body requires what is called REM sleep. Rapid Eye Movement (REM) is the deepest part of sleep that we enter just prior to waking up. While sleeping (i.e. "Doing nothing") our bodies are active and are refreshed by doing REM sleep. It seems that "doing nothing" is really doing something. Today, Joanie's Dad spent the day in bed. He wasn't feeling well. He had a cough, sore throat, and the general "blahs". Said he took a nap and got some extra rest. When we saw him this afternoon, we asked him if he was feeling better after his nap. He said he was. We didn't asked if he enjoyed "doing nothing". We knew that rest is not really doing nothing. It is providing health to body, soul and mind. It's not that taking a Sabbatical is doing nothing. It's just that doing "nothing" helps refresh the soul. It's kind of like taking a nap. You wake up refreshed and ready to go. I feel like I am waking up from a long nap. I have begun to feel refreshed. I feel like I am about ready to go.