“And on the seventh day God finished his work that he had done, and he rested on the seventh day from all his work that he had done. So God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it God rested from all his work that he had done in creation.”
Genesis 2:2-3
Like many fellows, when I first moved into my host family’s house, I was nervous. Would they like me? Would they only eat salad? Or a big question for me, what would rest and relaxation look like? Growing up I hated naps and would refuse to take them. As I got older, I was often running around and never really rested. In college I finally began to lean into napping and I loved it. I was finally slowing down enough to enjoy a nap and a sabbath. Coming out of college, I was wondering what a sabbath would like post-grad. Creating weekly Sabbath rhythms is something that is very important to me. In college it mostly consisted of church, brunch, watching an Arsenal match, napping, and watching a movie with Chipotle to round off the evening.
In the Book of Genesis, we see that after six days of creating, God rested. He blessed the seventh day and made it holy. God didn’t rest because He was tired, He rested to set a rhythm for us. From the very beginning, Scripture shows us that life is meant to move in patterns of work and rest. Sabbath is not just about stopping; it is about trusting that God is still at work even when we are not. It is about receiving rest as a gift instead of earning it.
On my first Sunday at the White house, I learned that Nancy and Steve both take Sunday afternoon naps after church. Without even planning it, I continued the post-church napping rhythm I had started in college. Now, most Sunday afternoons, at some point, all three of us are napping. The house gets quiet, the pace slows, and it feels like we are all participating in something sacred, even if it looks very ordinary.
Another part of Sabbath that has become part of my rhythm with the Whites is their bi-weekly family dinners. Every other week, they host Nancy’s sister Anne and her family. It has been such a gift to get to know Nancy and Steve’s sons, Sam and Anderson, and Anne’s three children, two boys and one girl named Amelia. Amelia and I immediately connected over Taylor Swift and found each other in a room dominated by boys. It has been such a joy to get to know Amelia and chat about books, Gilmore Girls, makeup and everything in between. These dinners are loud and full, but they are also restful in a different way. They remind me that Sabbath rhythms are not just about naps, but about being together, slowing down, and delighting in the people God has placed around us.
“There is a house, a napping house, where everyone is sleeping. And in the house there is a bed, a cozy bed in a napping house, where everyone is sleeping.”
– The Napping House by Audrey Wood and illustrated by Don Wood
Mary Frances with the Whites.
About the Author
Mary Frances is a member of the Fourth Fellows Class of 2025-2026. She is from Raleigh, North Carolina, and is a graduate of Wheaton College. This year, she is working with Romanian Christian Enterprises (RCE) and the ESOL program at Fourth Presbyterian Church.