23 Jun

To Nap, Or Not To Nap…Is There Really A Question?

posted by Daniel Blackaby

Throughout history there have been many dynamic duos: Batman/Robin, Pinkie/The Brain, Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie. But the most deadly duo of all? My buddy Robbie and I. That’s deadly as in, “from the perspective of our camp counselors.” Oh yes, Rob and I terrorized many youth camps in our day. That is until the unthinkable happened, we got old.

Let me tell ya, once ya hit seventeen the ol’ body doesn’t hold up like it did back in the “Glory days,” when we were the ripe, tender age of sixteen. I remember the day clearly, as if it only happened several years ago, when camp events took entirely new meanings, like stepping into a bright new world. Free time came to be mutually redefined as ‘nap-time.’ Come to think of it, so did recreation time and class time and often lunch as well, and well, you get the idea.

God blessed us that year, as we joyfully discovered our dorm counselor shared the same sacred adoration and devotion to napping. A friendship soon blossomed, and many naps were had.

During one particular nap-time-formerly-known-as-recreation-time, while peacefully resting, we were violently torn back into horrible reality of wakefulness, blaring throughout the room was the sound of the fire alarm.

Outside, panicked screams were followed by hurried footsteps anxiously marching towards the exit. Our youth pastor’s voice rang over the noise, begging for order. Our trio’s eyes met, not a word was spoken; we knew what must be done.

Without rising, our counselor reached up to the alarm. CRACK! It rolled across the room and bumped against my bed, severed wires still sparking. Grunting he muttered, “Fire alarms not working,” and in unison our heads flopped back to our pillows. The next two hours of that nap were glorious.

Lucky for us, this story doesn’t end with third-degree burns; it was a false alarm (there was a lot of fried chicken left on dinner plates that night). Looking back, it was foolish to ignore the alarm. However, I’ve discovered that I ignore warning signs all the time. Ever ended up in a situation or place that you regretted later? Perhaps a party with friends when alcohol or drugs were passed around? An Internet site you shouldn’t be on? Crossing set boundaries with a girl or boy?

Unfortunately, none of us are free of regret. We all end up in the wrong situation sometime or another. Lately, I’ve realized that those moments never simply “pop-up” or catch us off-guard either. There are always warnings and red flags along the way, but we ignore them. The Bible says to flee from evil (2 Timothy 2:22). It doesn’t say, “Hang around evil, but don’t participate,” or even, “Only venture into evil as far as you think you can handle, then stop.” I’ve found the harsh reality several times that I’m not as strong as I thought I was. We can never relive those moments, so I encourage you to take the warning signs seriously. Because no matter how many false alarms there may be, eventually you may experience a real fire.

Flee from the evil desires of youth, and pursue righteousness, faith, love, and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a Pure Heart. 2 Timothy 2:22

Filed in: Sin, Temptation

About the Author

Daniel Blackaby is a junior in college, living in Simpsonville, SC. His biggest passions in life are music and literature. He plays guitar in a Christian rock band and also plays bass guitar, drums, and keyboard.

Apart from playing music, Daniel loves to listen to all types of music and has over 700 CDs on his iTunes. He admits he’s a huge nerd who loves to read and enjoys collecting classic literature. He loves to hang out and have a good time, but his primary goal is to try and live life to the fullest and glorify God in everything he does. You can contact him by email at boonster11@hotmail.com.

Read more about Daniel here.