A beautiful map for self-care…. (devo reflection)

1 Kings 19:5 Then he lay down under the bush and fell asleep. All at once an angel touched him and said, “Get up and eat.”  

Remember that in verse 4 Elijah was so stressed, so frustrated, so fed up, so scared that he said, “I’ve had enough, Lord.” The antidote for him is to sleep, to eat, to rest. The angel doesn’t lambast him, saying, “You big idiot! You can’t do anything right! You are a failure!” The angel encourages rest, encourages food, reminds Elijah why rest is needed (“…for the journey is too much for you.”)

1 Kings 19:6 He looked around, and there by his head was some bread baked over hot coals, and a jar of water. He ate and drank and then lay down again.

What a beautiful map for self-care: Recognize your limitations. Rest. Relax. Recenter. Be gentle with yourself. Remember that you are doing your best and sometimes it just takes a while. Don’t give up. Give it to God.

1 Kings 19:7 The angel of the Lord came back a second time and touched him and said, “Get up and eat, for the journey is too much for you.” 

Lord, I would do well to remember Elijah and this lesson because I, too, have a tendency to give everything until there is nothing left, until I am so stressed, so frustrated, so fed up, so afraid that I explode and rail at You. Help me, instead, to rest, to be kind to myself. Help me to remind others of this same lesson. Help us to give our all for You. Always. Amen.

1 Kings 19:8 So he got up and ate and drank. Strengthened by that food, he traveled forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.

Have a blessed day.