Monica Mowdy
Soul Reset
“What Can’t Be Helped with a Nap & a Snack”
1 Kings 19:3-9 CEB
The first semester of my freshman year of college, I was a theater major. I was there on scholarship. So what that meant was, in addition to carrying a full load of school, I also had to be a part of every production. And we did a production after production. After production, they were all back to back. So if I was acting in that production, along with studying and taking my test and going to classes, I also had to memorize lines and go to rehearsals and learn blocking and be prepared for the for the performance.
If I wasn't in the play, then I would have to be part of the backstage crew. That was one of the conditions of the scholarship. So I was building costumes, building sets, running errands, whatever it took, in addition to going to school. But without that, I wouldn't be able to keep my scholarship and finish school. The last two weeks of the semester, which included studying for finals as well as finals week, we had a two week long dinner theater that had a production every night plus two on Saturday.
And I was in this, and that's how we raised money for the theater department. When my mom picked me up on that last day, when I finished my first semester, I fell asleep in the car and I slept all the way home. When I got home, I stumbled up the stairs, fell in my bed, and went into a sleep that I didn't think people really would ever do.
My mom would go up every day, maybe a couple times a day, and wake me up and try to get me to drink something, possibly even eat something I usually didn't eat. Sometimes I might eat a few crackers, drink a little bit of water, and back to sleep I went. I don't really remember much, other than I would try praying that God would make me well from whatever I was sick with.
And I would fall asleep praying. I couldn't even stay awake long enough to do a decent prayer to God. And I also remember being really ticked. I was angry because here I had worked so hard this first semester to do all these things so that I could stay in school. And I came home and all my friends were running and doing fun things, and I couldn't go do anything because I couldn't even get out of bed.
One day, my mom woke me up. About a week into this, maybe a week and a half, and she said, you have to come downstairs. It's Christmas morning. You have to come open your Christmas presents. People want to see you. So I throw on something and I go downstairs and I open my presents, and I watch everybody open their presents.
And I say all my thank you's, and they're getting ready to go into the kitchen to sit out the Christmas dinner. And I went back upstairs and went to bed. And the next day, when my mom woke me up to give me my water and my food, I had no voice. I had gotten to a place where I was physically, emotionally, and spiritually exhausted.
I had absolutely nothing left within me. It was the end of January before my voice and my energy came back, and even then it was a slow return. And I had missed over a month of my life being exhausted. I kind of understand the story of the prophet Elijah in First Kings 19. It tells of a man who gave his all to defeat evil in the form of false prophets.
Swaying the people of Israel away from God after his defeat of these false prophets. Queen Jezebel, the wife of King Ahab of Israel, was super unhappy. She was an evil queen. King Ahab was not a good godly king either. And so they decided to send forces to eliminate Elijah. Now fair enough. Elijah was scared and he ran into the wilderness to hide, and after a days travel, he finally gave in to exhaustion and fell asleep under a tree and prayed.
He was upset that he had given his all for the Lord in an attempt to keep people from peril. But he felt like a failure. He fell asleep while he was praying. Later, an angel woke him up and gave him fresh hot bread and water and urged him to get up and drink. Elijah got up and he ate, and he drank.
But he went right back to sleep. The angel woke him again and gave him food and drink, and sent him to meet with the Lord on the mountain. About going back to the mission with God by his side. This time, instead of feeling all alone, it's so easy to push ourselves way too far to get to all the things that we think life wants us to do.
Also, when we push like that three things can happen. One, we can believe that everything that comes our way is something that we're supposed to do. Two we can forget that we're not intended to work alone in this world. And three, we forget that we need rest and nourishment to continue on whatever our plan and our work is.
And that's nutrition and hydration for our spirit, our emotions, as well as our physical body. In 2024, the world has resumed to hustling and bustling. Post our slowdown of 2020. I used to think that after that slow down, we would slow down, but I'm not seeing that. I'm seeing a slowly begin to increase our workloads and our busyness.
We often work too many hours and put too much on our plate while there's only so many hours in a day. We try to squeeze squeeze much out of our time that we are awake and feel a failure when we can't get it all done. Often added to that is we do so much for others our children, our family, our friends, going to events, practices, upkeep of our home, extra curricular activities outside of work and home.
It's easy to fall into despair when we feel as though the world's operations rest solely upon our shoulders. Going without a sole rest can make our tasks ahead of us seem worse, and allow for us to do more than is needed of us, or even asked of us. We just keep piling it on. Sometimes I'm sure all we want to do is go sit under a tree and sleep and wait for someone to wake us up and feed us and let us return to our slumber until we are fully rested.
I mean, what can't be solved with a nap and a snack? The holy rest and refreshment described in First Kings can be seen as a soul reset. It's a time when we stop and we give ourselves some time to receive. Not just give and not just receive actual food and hydration, but divine sustenance. Nurture for our soul with a fresh wind from the Holy Spirit and being filled by the living water of Jesus Christ.
And then we are able to carry on but with God's plan and direction. Not just stars. Elijah, in his scrambling in exhaustion, had forgotten that the threat was not as real as he perceived. Did he not trust God to continue to protect him? It took slowing down, stopping, resting, and resetting in a meeting with God face to face on that mountain.
To remember, the average adult needs 7 to 9 hours of sleep a night. But statistics show they receive closer to 5.7 hours. Our diets are often comprised of grab and go food or skipping meals altogether. If we go beyond sleeplessness and hunger, how easy is it to go beyond recognizing a need for a soul reset? Arrested body will bring energy to your life and day's work.
A rested mind is better able to engage in creative and clear thinking, and a soul rest allows for our spirits to reconnect to our identity as a child of God. It is critical that we create the time and space for a soul reset.
A soul reset is more than a Sabbath rest. It is a holy reflection with God guiding the conversation and examination of where we are and where we're going to be going. Think of it as taking a balcony. Look at your life.
So often we are tied to the day to day demands of our schedule, never looking up to plan a long term journey. Just adding and adding tasks to be completed. Putting more and more on our plate. Setting aside a time to periodically climb into the balcony of your life and look down at all that is going on. It's easier to see where we are operating outside of spaces that we need to be, and observe potential traps of burnout and exhaustion.
Standing back and looking at the bigger picture. Allows for us to remove the tasks that are not really intended for us, or to possibly find others to collaborate with us and make sure that where our energy is being spent is where God wants us to be. Doing this process of reflection every few months resets your intentions and your trajectory toward shared goals with God.
During that time, you can listen to the wisdom of God and the plans God has for you as you set your schedule. Include times of rest and nourishment in each day, including divine rest and renewal. Found in the power of the Holy Spirit and the Living Water of Christ that will make you never thirst again. Schedule plenty of sleep and spend time in conversation with God through prayer.
Now I know you may fall asleep mid prayer at night. I wish I had a dollar for every time I've fallen asleep while I've been praying at night. It used to make me feel so guilty that I would wake myself back up and try to start praying again. Until one day I realized that what better place to fall asleep than in the arms of God, and then later waking up safe and secure and ready to go.
God knows our heart. It's the intent to go to God. Is that what matters? So what happened to Elijah? Well, when he met with God, God was not found in the chaos of the earthquake on the mountain. Or the sound of the roaring winds that rushed around the mountain, God was found in the still small voice of silence.
God's plan sent Elijah back to the wilderness, and he tells Elijah, I will anoint a new king, and I will give you a helper. The prophet Elijah. And the two worked through God's plans for God's people. God will give you a reset for your soul. Two. When you take the time to meet up with God. Let us pray.
Almighty God, we come to you today so thankful for the ability to come to you for a reset, a reset of our soul that will strengthen our mind and our body, and our spirit will give us nourishment for the days and the plans ahead. Lord, let us set aside that time for you and that time for us as we accomplish the new kingdom that we pray for every time we pray.
Your kingdom come, thy will be done. It's in Christ's name. We pray. Amen.
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