Suzy Snoozy

This is the story of a little girl called Suzy Snoozy.

Suzy Snoozy was only a very little girl, but like many little girls, she thought she was a big girl. Certainly, she thought she was way too big to be having a day time nap. Her mother disagreed.

Every day Suzy’s mother would send her and her little sister, Sammy, to their room to sleep, but most times Suzy just read and played instead. Sometimes she even got up to mischief, tipping out perfume and breaking things that were fragile.

“Suzy, you must sleep,” said her mother. “It is the rule of this house that you must have a sleep after lunch.”

Suddenly one day, Suzy Snoozy decided that sleeping was indeed a good idea. It happened one day after lunch, when her mother asked her to help wipe down the table.

“I’m way too sleepy.” Suzy Snoozy said, and she sauntered slowly into her room and flopped on her bed. She then lay very still, pretending to be asleep.

“Suzy!” Scolded Suzy Snoozy’s mother, “I know that you are simply pretending. I do want you to sleep, but you can easily help me as well!”

But Suzy didn’t move. She stayed very, very still.

Every day was the same. As soon as anyone asked Suzy to help them she would say, “I am so sorry, I simply can’t because I have to have my sleep.”

That was when the family began to call her, Suzy Snoozy.

One day Suzy Snoozy’s mother asked Suzy to get a tissue for her little sister. “I simple can’t. I’m way too sleepy, and it is time for my sleep. It is the rule and so I have to have a sleep.”

One day Suzy’s mother announced, “Oh Suzy, I am so sorry, but I cannot fix you some lunch. I am way too sleepy.”

WHAT? Suzy was horrified.... and hungry. She was so hungry that she got out the bread and butter and made herself a sandwich. It was not like the ones her mother makes for her, and bits of it spilt out the edges. The kitchen was a mess by the time she finished. She would have cleaned it up, but she was sure it was time for her sleep. So, off she went to her room.

Suzy lay down and pretended to sleep, but it wasn’t the same. There was no one checking on her and no one saying, “Suzy Snoozy, I know you are simply pretending to sleep.”

Suzy Snoozy opened her eyes and sat up. She started to play with the security screen in the window near her bed. It looked like a pattern of diamonds. The holes were just big enough to poke her hand through.

Suzy Snoozy slid her hand through the hole so that she could wave to people outside of her screen. She laughed when an old lady waved back. Then she decided to do something else, but.....

Her hand was stuck! She tried and tried to get her hand back through the hole but it just wouldn’t go. She cried and yelled out to her Mother.

“Suzy Snoozy,” said her mother from the other room. “I simply can not help you, as I am way to sleepy. You know I simply must get my beauty sleep!”

UH-OH! Suzy suddenly realized that she had been very silly every day when she was pretending to sleep. She wasn’t really too sleepy, but simply being lazy. She just didn’t want to help, and now no one wanted to help her.

Suzy Snoozy’s Mother suddenly appeared and showed Suzy Snoozy how to get her hand out of the hole.

“Suzy, it is very important that you get enough sleep,” said Suzy Snoozy’s mother, “But you can use it as an excuse to be lazy or as an excuse not to do things to help people”.

Oops!

The next day after Suzy Snoozy had her lunch and mother asked her to wipe down the table, Suzy Snoozy said, “Oh but I’m so, so, so sleepy” and sauntered off to have a sleep.

Suzy Snoozy’s mother sprang into action and jumped into the door way just before Suzy Snoozy could go in. “Guess again, Suzy Snoozy, lazy bones. You are going to wipe down the table and THEN have a sleep!”

“Ew! But it’s all so dirty!” squealed Suzy Snoozy. And so began a life long struggle that every Mother understands.

The people that Jesus lived with had a whole day each week where they were meant to rest. It was called the Sabbath. God had given them the command, “you must keep holy the Sabbath”, and so the people didn’t do any work on that day. They prayed, and that way it was holy, but they didn’t even cook meals or walk very far, because they believed that it was very, very important to rest.

Jesus met a lady who was all bent over and couldn’t walk properly. It was the Sabbath day and everyone was resting, but this lady was always in pain. Jesus knew that he could heal this lady so that she would be all better. What do you think would be the best way to keep the Sabbath day holy? Should Jesus leave the lady or should he heal her? What would God want?

We know that Jesus healed the lady, so we know that although it is important to rest it is even more important to do what God wants us to do.