Happy May! Just in case your wondering I had a great, wonderful and love-filled birthday!! Deano outdid himself ... thank you for everything! My family, kids and friends made it amazing. We ended the weekend with bowling instead of our usual family Sunday lunch. Double win for me: no cooking and we had so much fun. Oh! Yes, I shamelessly used the bumper lane we had for the grand-kiddos.

So, the last couple of weeks I have been thinking about Elijah. Let me do a quick overview. Elijah just fought and won a huge battle. The queen is angry about losing, all her priests were dead and she threatened Elijah's life. He gets scared, runs away, hides under a tree and tells God he's had enough and to let him die. You can check it out in 1 Kings 18:16-19:8 if you want to read the whole thing.

The thing that I love about this is how God loves and cares for Elijah. God does not roll his eyes at his over dramatic statement of wanting to die. God does not recite the miracle that just happened and that Elijah should have more faith. God does not tell him to be the man of God he is, grow up and stop whining. It is a wonderful picture of God's character and the grace he has for us.

Have you ever fought so hard for something, put the time and energy in, believed, prayed ...all the things. Regardless of the outcome, whether positive or negative, you are bone tired? Has there been a battle that took everything you have and then some? And you know! You know that God is faithful and has your back, but the very next thing you face brings you to your knees.

I remember a time when one of our girls was sick for a year. We had all kinds of tests, ambulance rides, hospital stays, a borrowed wheelchair. I am handling it all. My other kids, the house, my two jobs, my hubby and church. I was confused, frustrated at not having an answer but believing and knowing God was with me. Then one day I was on my way to the car and I step in dog poop... Yep! It broke me. All the fear, anger, frustration whatever else there was came out in tears and not wanting to do this anymore. (Side-note: We found out the problem, she had a surgery and now is healthy)

Maybe for you it's that mountain of laundry, the crying of your baby, the car won't start, the flat tire, the bill you forgot to pay, the calendar that never lets up, ______________________(you fill in the blank). Oh, that thing by itself is not a make it or break it thing but put it after a battle and wham! You're hiding under a tree.

The angel came to Elijah, woke him up and fed him-twice. Rest and food. It wasn't judgment or condemnation that God gave, instead it was sleep and food.

Sometimes we just need a breath. Take a beat to stop. Eat some good comfort food...or that bowl of ice cream. Self-care sounds, well selfish, but if we don't find a minute to care for ourselves we will not be able to be there. (Think the airplane oxygen mask analogy) I had a high school English teacher say "when in doubt, take a bath." Maybe, just maybe, taking a moment to stop to let your mind catch up or have your faith restored is what you need to be able to get up and face the next thing.

I still had to get the poop off my shoe and Elijah still had to walk 40 days and nights, camped in a cave and had a come-to-Jesus talk to deal with his fear and loneliness. God's love for us goes way beyond what we can do for him. He saw Elijah. He sees me. He sees you. Let Him meet you where you are. He's always there for you. I know that because he is always there for me, even when I forget it and freak out.

I hope you have an amazing day and awesome week! Watch out for the poop! ;-)

All my love ~
xoxo JB

P.S. On Sunday our pastor, Tom, shared about margin in our lives. It's like God is trying to say something ;) You can watch it by clicking here.