Nap Time

One of the perks I've found in working half days is the beauty of naps. I love naps. Naps are wonderful. And it's such a beautiful spot during my morning routine when I'm waking up at ungodly hours to be able to think, "I can come back home and take a nap in just a few hours." The problem is that I'm a horrible napper. I am a horribly cranky morning person. I wake up as early as I do, because if I show up at work within an hour of rolling out of bed, I'd probably lose my job shortly after losing my patience. 
Well I'm not a whole lot better after waking up from a nap. My attitude is just fine so long as there are no people for me to interact with. However, I am now living with two other people. The good thing is that our morning schedules don't conflict so the mornings are generally peaceful. But by the time I wake up from my nap however, at least one, if not both, roommates are home. So as of late, my days have looked a little something like this:
  
   wake up (1 hr of no people = good morning)
   four hours of happy times
   lunch
   nap time 
   CRANKINESS
   bedtime

I'd like to say that this is slightly exaggerated but I know there's a good chance that at least one of my roommates will be agreeing wholeheartedly on this.

In the last two weeks I've learned two things: 1) I have to learn how to live with other people and, 2) I have to be intentional about getting time alone. I have have time to myself or people begin to irritate me. And when I'm surrounded by them all the time (as opposed to living alone and being able to hide out), that time doesn't come by itself. And so I've found that I can be very biting and verbally aggressive with the slightest provocation. In light of (not because of) this realization, I've been doing some reflecting this week and I've found that like a diamond that reflects light at varying angles, a great beauty is grace that shines in many forms. 

You see, God's grace is revealed to us through His pursuit of us despite our failings and fallings. I've been comforted by the scripture in Psalms 103 that says,

"He will not always accuse us, and he will not be angry forever. He has not punished us as our sins should be punished; he has not repaid us for the evil we have done. As high as the sky is above the earth, so great is his love for those who respect him. He has taken our sins away from us as far as the east is from west. The Lord has mercy on those who respect him, as a father has mercy on his children. He knows how we were made; he remembers that we are dust." v.9-14

I love the fact that I can call God Almighty my Father as well. Not because I've earned my way into His affections or done anything to merit His favor, but simply because He loves me enough to cover my sins with blood-colored grace and call me His child. 
But that's not the only thing that warms my heart. For the power of grace is not fully felt until it can be genuinely shown to others. My post-nap nature does not show grace. And for this I am deeply sorry. But while I may fail in showing grace, I have two wonderful roommates who have been faithful to show me grace after a nap, though I truly don't deserve it.

I have to say that this concept of grace is one that I've been tossing back and forth with God for about a month now. =D Only God, in all His faithfulness, would would find a way to use something as simple as my naps to clarify a concept so huge. Grace is not about showing love, respect or honor to those you like or who you feel deserve it. Nor is it just about big things. It's about showing love to those who by all means don't deserve it (i.e. everyone), all the time. Grace, for me, has been revealed after the blessing of a nap.