Have you ever taken a very long nap? Maybe naps are not your favorite thing. They can seem a bit…boring. But sometimes our bodies and minds need rest. Every once in a while, I nap all afternoon, and it feels like a big reset.

 

This week my pet snail, Picket, took a long nap. It wasn’t just an afternoon snooze—it lasted for days! Picket and our other pet snail, Heather (Green Ember series, anyone? ;) ), are new additions to our household zoo. Both snails were active when we first placed them in their habitat. But then Picket crawled to the top of the tank and tucked himself inside his shell. A couple of days later, he was still hidden away. We began to wonder if he needed to eat or drink.

 

After five days, I feared the worst. Had Picket passed away? I did some research and asked the organization we had gotten our snails from. They told us not to fear…Picket was resting! We placed him in a shallow dish of water, and sure enough, he slowly poked his head out and extended his eye stalks, called optical tentacles.

 

It turns out Picket was temporarily estivating. Estivation is when certain animals, such as snails, go into a deep sleep. This sleep helps a snail save energy, stay moist, and stay safe from predators. And not to worry about food because during estivation, their metabolism slows down so they’re not using energy and don’t need food for a while.

 

While Picket was estivating, he created a clear seal—like hardened school glue—that closed off the entrance of his shell and secured him to the underside of the tank’s top. This seal is called an epiphragm (pronounced EP-i-fram). It’s a very smart design God made to keep snails safe! You can learn more in Lesson 93: Is a Snail Born With a Shell?

 

Like snails, we also need rest. God designed our bodies and minds to thrive through nightly sleep. But we can rest at other times, too. Resting doesn’t always mean sleeping. We can rest by sitting in the sunshine and listening to birds, enjoying a good book, listening to worship music, or taking a walk. Yesterday, I enjoyed moments of rest while sitting on the back deck with my son after sunset, watching stars appear.

 

As we spend time with Jesus, we experience true rest. Let’s take a lesson from Picket this week. What is one way you will choose to rest?

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31b (NIV)

Dear God, You created me to play, do important work, and to rest! Help me to learn how to rest. May I enjoy resting in Your presence and in Your creation.

Fun Fact:

Snails and slugs have thousands of teeth! Inside their mouth is something called a radula with rows of up to 30,000 microscopic teeth. Can you imagine being a snail trying to eat popcorn?

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