I almost don’t write today.
Not because anything is necessarily wrong. I’m not having some major crisis. I’m not questioning my purpose or reconsidering every decision I’ve ever made. Just not feeling it. No burst of inspiration. No clever opening line. No profound thought waiting to spill onto the page.
Just…meh.
And while I’m trying to convince myself that I need to feel motivated before I can write something worth sharing, I think about Elijah.
Sometimes You Need a Nap and a Snickers
If you’re familiar with 1 Kings 18–19, Elijah is coming off an incredible victory. God shows up in a BIG way on Mount Carmel. You would think Elijah is riding that spiritual high for at least a little while.
Nope.
By the next chapter, Elijah is scared, exhausted, running for his life, and sitting under a tree asking God if he can basically be done with all of it. And do you know what I love about God’s response?
He doesn’t start with a sermon. He doesn’t say, “Elijah, after everything I just did, this is how you’re acting?” He doesn’t hand him a five-step productivity plan.
God lets that man take a nap. Then an angel wakes him up and tells him:
“Get up and eat.” – 1 Kings 19:5 NIV
In Tiffany translation? Baby, take a nap and have the biblical equivalent of a Snickers. 😂 And then Elijah goes back to sleep! The angel comes back a second time with more food because, as Scripture says:
“…the journey is too much for you” – 1 Kings 19:7 NIV
Can we sit there for a minute? God acknowledges that the journey is a lot. Sometimes you aren’t lazy. You aren’t losing your passion. You aren’t on the wrong path. Sometimes you are simply tired, and everything feels heavier when you’re depleted.
Eventually, You Have to Get Up
Here’s the other side of that story. God doesn’t leave Elijah under the tree. Rest is part of the process. It isn’t the final destination. That matters because sometimes what we call “needing motivation” is really needing rest. But sometimes? We just don’t feel like doing the thing. And there’s a difference. Galatians 6:9 reminds us:
“Let us not become weary in doing good…” – Galatians 6:9 NIV
There are going to be days when the excitement isn’t there. You won’t always feel inspired to work toward the goal. You won’t always feel inspired to exercise, write, study, apply, build, forgive, serve, show up, or start again. Sometimes, whatever it is, you have to do it uninspired. Not because your feelings don’t matter, but because feelings make terrible project managers.
Low Energy Doesn’t Equate to Lack
This may be the part I need to remember today. A low-energy day doesn’t mean you’ve lost your purpose. Likewise, a difficult week doesn’t erase what God has called you to. And a season that feels ordinary doesn’t mean nothing meaningful is happening, or meaningful things can happen in ordinary seasons (for the positive thinkers).
Elijah has purpose before the broom tree. He has purpose while he is lying under the broom tree. And he still has purpose when God tells him it’s time to get moving again. The exhaustion doesn’t cancel the assignment. Neither does yours. Colossians 3:23 says:
“Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart…” – Colossians 3:23 NIV
Notice it doesn’t say, whatever you feel excited about today. Sometimes purpose has to carry you when motivation doesn’t show up. So before you decide you need to quit, change everything, or dramatically rethink your entire life, ask yourself a simpler question:
What do I actually need today?
Maybe you need rest.
Maybe you need nourishment.
Maybe you need to remember why you started.
And maybe you simply need to stop waiting to feel inspired and take the next small step.
As for me? I don’t feel like writing today. But here we are. Sometimes you just have to do it uninspired.
Reflect, Realign, Repeat
What is one thing you’ve been waiting to feel like doing that may simply require you to just take the next step? And before you answer that…
Have you eaten today? Because Elijah would probably tell you not to underestimate the power of a nap and a snack. 😉
That’s life right now…
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