Between the end of semester craziness that comes with being a professor and prepping for a big event where I’m performing a concert and speaking, the past month has been non-stop. And then there are the dishes and laundry I can’t keep up with, the pile of books to read for research for my first book, and the pieces I’m learning for upcoming recitals. My life is a bit scattered in different directions and I love it.

But my body and mind have their limits. I’ve been waking up exhausted every morning. My mind has slowed down from all the reading, creating, and memorizing. And as exciting as a lot of the things I’m doing are, I find myself feeling more discouraged than exhilarated.

So on Saturday, I decided to do something I’ve been needing to do for a long time:

I took a nap.

“It is in vain that you rise up early

and go late to rest,

eating the bread of anxious toil;

for he gives to his beloved sleep.”

Psalm 127:2

But how on earth could I possibly take a nap when I have so many things to do? I believe in hard work; the Bible has a lot of harsh things to say about laziness. But this doesn’t give me permission to abuse the body God has entrusted me to steward. I only have one, after all.

But there’s another reason I can rest during seasons of high stress:

“Unless the Lord builds the house,

those who build it labor in vain.”

Psalm 127:1a

So if you’re in the midst of a season of weariness, it’s possible that most holy thing you can do is take a nap.