I’m still here! I know – It’s been several months since my last blog post. It wasn’t because I had nothing to say. On the contrary, with so much happening in our world today, there is no shortage of topics for discussion. However, whenever I forced my butt into the chair to write, I realized I didn’t have the desire to. As days turned into weeks and months, I kept telling myself I needed to post to my blog. But it felt too forced, and I couldn’t find my rhythm. I decided then, I’d had enough and gave myself permission to “just be.”

Sometimes, we put pressure on ourselves by continuing to put out, even when it’s time to take a break.

Sometimes, the expectations of others can cause us to press ahead, even when we’re running on fumes.

It’s often hard to admit when we’ve had enough. 

In the book of Kings, we have Elijah, a commanding presence back in his days. One minute he was on top of the mountain proclaiming victory; the next, he was running into the wilderness, where he sat under a tree, declaring, “I have had enough,” and went to sleep.

Who has never uttered those words?

I’ve had enough is not necessarily a declaration to quit. It gives words to what is going on inside of us.

At the age of thirteen, I uttered, “I’ve had enough,” wanting to return to Jamaica and my family because I was so overcome with homesickness. Yet, years later I became an American Citizen.

I’ve had enough. I’ve sobbed, tired from the many fights my husband and I had over the years. However, this year we will celebrate 37 years of marital bliss. (Well, maybe 30 😁)

I’ve had enough. I’ve said, through motherhood and ministry, sickness, and sadness.

I’ve had enough. I’ve cried in moments of fatigue, frustration, loneliness, and loss.

I’ve shouted, I’VE HAD ENOUGH, during disappointments and discouragement. 

Yet, with God’s help, I’ve picked myself up and continued forward.

Gentle Reminders

As for Elijah, as he slept, an angel came and nudged him awake so he could eat and drink. He was then allowed to rest again.

I am thankful for those nudges.    

The gentle reminders to take care of ourselves. 

The gentle reminders that we cannot pour from an empty cup. 

When the angel came back a second time, he told Elijah, “get up and eat for the journey is too great for you”.  Elijah got up, ate, drank, and had strength to move forward.

What gentle reminders do you need when you’ve had enough?

Here are a few:

It’s ok, not to be ok. Even to say, I’ve had enough.

You are more than your accomplishments.

You have nothing to prove.

You are not disqualified because of your feelings or past mistakes.

Don’t compare yourself to others. Your journey is unique to you.

You’re not starting over, because no experience is ever wasted.

Nourish Yourself

Saying I’ve had enough – is a time of evaluation, determining the next course of action. It can be a sign we need to build more margins in our lives, a time to make more space.

How do you nourish yourself when you feel you’ve had enough?

It’s easy to be gentle on others and we forget to extend the same to ourselves. 

So, while I’ve been away from posting to an audience, I’ve been writing for myself. 

I’ve been reading and nourishing myself while noticing the “stuff” that’s coming to the surface.  

I have been giving myself time and giving myself space.

It’s been a time of renewing, repairing, restoring and repositioning.

It is when we’ve had enough, and allow ourselves to stop, that we can hear more distinctively, see more clearly, and then move forward more confidently back into the circle.

The Journey Is Greater Than Us

Knowing the journey is greater than us, can leave a feeling of being overwhelmed.

But, it also guarantees our reliance upon God.

Additionally, ensuring we are attuned to our bodies, physically, mentally, and spiritually; giving them the necessary care, positions us, so that we can rise to the occasion again and again.  

A lot has transpired under the surface while I’ve been away. However, don’t let that hidden time deceive you.   We often see just the tip of the iceberg, but fail to see the indestructible mass beneath. As one writer states, “Because the unseen has been carefully attended to, the visible can expand on a trustworthy foundation.”

I am still here, and so are you. I’m moving forward, and I know you will too.

The journey is great. We have purpose riding on our shoulders, and we will not quit until it has been accomplished.

So,

REST. EAT. DRINK.

With, The Water I Give

And, when you are ready, journey on.