I’m not a real big fan of these 4 AM mornings.

I definitely like it when I’ve worked, exercised, cleaned my house, and caught up on emails by 9 AM though. So there’s a definite trade-off.

BUT, after I’ve been awake for 12 hours, I get pretty tired. Especially if I only got 4-5 hours sleep the night before.

Such was the case last week.

To top it off, we’ve recently started a mid-week service on Tuesday nights at 6 PM so I knew I wouldn’t get to bed early nor was I allowed to let sleepy Gigi out. (Note: She makes a hangry Betty White look like an angel. If you don’t have a tv, eat Snickers, or know how to tie your shoes yet, you can just skip over that one.)

Anyway, I was needing a nap.

I was much like a cranky toddler, to be honest, nearing tantrum levels and very much about to cry. There was no way I was going to make it through a church service, with a gift of hospitality on full display, without one.

But I had two loads of laundry on my bed that I hadn’t gotten to, not to mention that, because of my “I’m not sick” husband who’s been running a fever of 102, I’d stripped the sheets and Lysol-ed the bed. (Can I verbalize Lysol? Can I verbalize verb, for that matter?)

I looked longingly at my bed. Who needs sheets, right? And it’s a king-size bed, so the unfolded socks and shirts can have half and I’ll take the other half. Right?

No way. My parents won’t believe this as my bedroom resembled a war zone growing up but I could never sleep knowing the bed was like this. No matter how tired I was. So I folded the clothes and remade the bed.

I had just thrown the fabric softener sheets in the kitchen trash can and was headed to my long-awaited bed when one of our pastors needed my help with something on his laptop. No problem. Of course, I live in the country and wi-fi is as slow as molasses, but after about an hour, I finally got the program loaded. In fact, it had made its way to 93% and my whole body was relaxing in anticipation of crawling into a bed with freshly laundered sheets when…

The doorbell rang.

One of our church members, one who is far better at gospel outreach than anyone in our church, myself included, wanted to order some more outreach booklets. He can throw the Word out there but he doesn’t do computers so I helped him order everything he needed.

While doing that, the UPS deliveryman brought a box filled with the new promotional materials for the church that I’d ordered last week. I was excited to go through the box as I know that there are so many unchurched, unconnected people in our community.

By the time everyone left, it had been two hours since I was initially headed to take my nap and yet, I felt strangely good. To be honest, I couldn’t understand it. I should’ve been cranky or aggravated. At the very least, I should’ve been really, really tired. But I was none of those things.

“I feel good,” I told the Lord. “Like, I know that helping them was more important than me getting a nap, but what is this I’m feeling inside?”

His answer?

As clear as a cloudless day, I heard Him: Rest is good to restore your body but ministry rejuvenates your soul.

Indeed!

(And I still got a 20-minute power nap before church!)