Hollow.
Empty.
Nothing left.
Drained.

Have you ever pulled the plug in the bottom of the bath tub and watched the water kind of tornado vacuum out the bottom? Disappearing into…well, nowhere.

Sometimes I feel like that’s what my energy and fun does. It slips out the bottom somewhere no one can see at a rapid rate and then there is just the shell.

Maybe I’m not supposed to admit that, being a leader, a Christian, a mom, a pastor – or whatever other reason you might feel inclined to be surprised or judge me right now. But the truth is, it happens to all of us.

Even the great prophet Elijah. He won this epic battle. (Sometimes the bathtub-draining-where-did-my-life-go feeling comes right after something awesome. Don’t be surprised. The enemy comes immediately to steal your joy IF he can).

And he’s tired and hungry and scared because a new problem cropped up – they wanna kill him. No time to celebrate the win, straight on to the next big thing. (Another way the enemy tries to pull our plug. By distracting us with the next issue and no celebration time.)

Here’s the cool thing. Even in the middle of Elijah’s depression and emptiness, God was watching over him.

An angel helped take care of him. (Your angel might have flesh and be your spouse, a parent, or a great friend). Eat. Rest. A lot.

And then the Lord wanted to show Elijah how big and strong He is. And yet that He is not about the big and bold, but He is in and is about the small and fragile. God is in all we notice, but He is also whispering to us and making moves for us so slight and quiet that when we are tired and hungry we just simply don’t see or notice them and assume nothing is happening.

If you are empty right now. If you are thinking about googling the symptoms of depression. Don’t feel bad or weird. Know that these feelings have come to each one of us in desert times of lull between mountain tops AND also right after a mountain top experience.

Don’t be afraid to rest. Sleep. A guilty pleasure. Dumb right? God created you to sleep. Don’t feel bad about it.

And EAT! Not the junk they serve in drive-thru. Eat some real food. Ask mom to cook. Or a friend to make that dish you love. Trade in Chinese take-out for a home cooked meal. You’ll be surprised how a friend will be flattered you want something they cooked. Or you can cook too! (You can, I can’t…lol)

And look for God. How? Thank Him. Get intentional. There is something to be thankful for no matter WHO you are, WHERE you are or what is happening to you. I guarantee if you are having these empty, drained feelings – the enemy is at work on you with his distraction technique. Get a pen (now, I’m waiting – OR comment below, actually comment below – I wanna see you did this! #accountability) FIVE things you can be thankful for right now. No cop outs. There are 25. But you CAN find five. And as you thank Him, listen. You can start to hear His whisper. Latch on. Follow that. Eat. Rest. And watch the tub start to fill again.