Nap and a snack
On March 23, 2011, my basement flooded. I know the date because it was my wife’s birthday. A flooded basement is NOT a good birthday present, by the way.
At the time, Malie was teaching for an online high school and, living in a split-foyer house, her office was in the basement. That morning, she went downstairs to teach and instead of hearing nothing as her feet hit the floor after the last step, it splooshed. Wet carpet.
We did all the usual cleanup things, getting as much stuff off the floor and into the upstairs living room as we could. The culprit was a sump pump that decided to take a nap instead of springing to life when needed.
Over the next couple of weeks, we found what we thought was a fix to the sump problem, but during a particularly heavy rainstorm, it became clear that even with the battery backup, we were going to get wet again.
It took some months to figure it out, but eventually, we discovered the real issue. It had to do with the tiling around the house and the foundation. We needed a new strategy to fix an old problem because just addressing the old problem with old solutions was getting nowhere.
Architect Buckminster Fuller is quoted as saying, “You never change things by fighting the existing reality. To change something, build a new model that makes the old model obsolete.”
Build a new model.
It has been a particularly heavy chapter in our world lately. Tensions remain high everywhere. And as economic and political tensions soar, it isn’t as if our own personal, individual tensions go away—it all adds up. It is cumulative. Stress at work with stress at home added to a general unrest of the world feels consuming, and our responses to these challenges don’t seem to be changing any of the outcomes.
I have no real, fail-safe solutions for you. If I did, you would have heard them by now and I would have written the book or been elected to office.
What I can say is that in order to address old and lasting issues, we need new models, new stories. At the very least, it would be good for all of us to take a moment and pause. Set aside as much stress and outrage as we can and be still, intentional with our bodies and words.
In 1 Kings there is a great story of the prophet Elijah. He was being pursued for killing some pagan prophets and his life was in danger. Fleeing and exhausted, he found a place of safety to sit down and hide. As his anxieties soared, he started wishing himself dead. In his exhaustion and panic, he fell asleep.
Twice during the night, angels came to him with food. Cakes made over hot coals, nourishment for the body. He woke up the next day no longer wishing for death, in fact, he was ready for new challenges. All he needed was a nap and a snack.
A nap and a snack. He took a moment to rest, nourish his body, and then he could address the challenges ahead with new eyes and new strategies.
Naps and snacks won’t make the enormity of the world go away and they won’t make challenging home lives or busy schedules any better. But an intentional pause to notice the smaller, more hopeful details of life might help.
Watching birds around a feeder or a preschooler carry a backpack bigger than themselves might be a moment of distracted joy. Watching the sunset over the river won’t make everything ok and neither will an evening with friends telling old stories. But all of those things may spur you to new strategies for coping with the hard things going on around and inside you.
A nap, a snack, a community of friends, a deep breath and a moment of pause…those things won’t always help. But they might. And from that pause, you may just find yourselves with a new perspective and discover a new way to address the challenges of the day.
-Mark Niethammer, senior pastor
Deborah Lamp
Thanks Mark, what great advice. We all need this reminder to stop and take a deep breath, a nap and a snack before going on.
John Walston
Thanks Mark. This has been a very difficult time for me with all the tensions right now. I am currently at Horicon Marsh in Wisconsin. Being surrounded by nature helps to rid my mind of tension. Thanks for your great words of encouragement and hope.
Debbie James
Thank you for your message. It reminds me of an article I had in my office entitled “All I ever really needed to know I learned in Kindergarten.” Robert Fulghum talked about the importance of saying sorry when you hurt someone, cleaning up your own mess, taking a nap every afternoon, sharing and playing fair, among other important life skills.
Audrey Keeney
Thanks for the good advice. We all to need to stop and take a slow breath and enjoy the moment right now. I had one of those moments this past weekend too. We had a hugh Monarch Butterfly that was enjoying feeding on a blooming plant outside our front door. Watching it for a few minutes was pure pleasure. I also took a picture.
Lisa Williams
Well articulated. The Biblical illustration had me read the story again. Nap, snack and a community of friends coupled with a deep breath… wise choices as we journey together.
Connie King
Really good advice. This is something everyone should read and do.
Sue Grove
Thanks, Mark for some good strategies for difficult times. We just had a visit from a praying mantis on our den window screen. I have only ever seen two of them and it was surely a moment of joy. It stayed long enough for me to take a photo. So I can take a breath and relive the delight.