Happiness is Fried Chicken #Stress-Eating
by Joey Bonifacio
Stress does different things to people.?I’m not talking about the daily challenges we face.?But the unusual, unexpected crises that come to our lives.
Stress?makes me want to eat.?I need to nibble as I think.?The more urgent the deadline, the faster the nibbling.?I don’t crave for sweets, but I sure love my potato chips. What does it do to you?
I knew change was coming fast when…
- My zumba place lost money and closed down (goodbye exercise!) and,
- Joey’s work required a change of country and more travel;
This, combined with other, more urgent issues:
- My father-in-law’s current health crisis, and major decisions to be made (still in the ICU as of this writing)
- My mother-in-law’s care (they live with us)
- Writing deadlines
- Packing for our move
- …Yet running a full household here too
- Plus an invitation to speak at a women’s conference next week–3 messages to prepare for that!
- etc. etc.
I am sure you have your share of etc. etc. too!
If I base it on the number of prayer requests on my Viber groups, many prayer requests are for sick people, family emergency situations, etc. etc.!?What’s a person to do when faced with high stress situations?
I’m so relieved how normal, some people in the Bible are.?Think of Elisha, a great prophet of God. He just confronted Ahab, who was King of Israel. He was strong and unafraid. To prove the power of God, he gathered wood, soaked the wood in water three times, then did a miracle!
Here’s 1 Kings 18:
37“Answer me, O Lord, answer me, so these people will know that you, O Lord, are the true God and that you are winning back their allegiance.”
38“Then fire from theLord fell from the sky. It consumed the offering, the wood, the stones, and the dirt, and licked up the water in the trench.”
39“When all the people saw this, they threw themselves down with their faces to the ground and said, The Lord is the true God! The Lord is the true God!
40“Elijah told them, Seize the prophets of Baal! Don’t let even one of them escape! So they seized them, and Elijah led them down to the Kishon Valley and executed them there.
Wow! What an amazing, capable guy! The ability to command wet wood to burn from fire in the sky, to talk to God, and in the process eradicating 450 of his enemies!
BUT another crisis comes. Jezebel threatens him. And Elijah runs away.
!!!
…Wait a minute, didn’t God just kill 450 bad guys? Couldn’t God handle 1 woman as well?
What is this teaching me?
- Even Strong, Godly People Can Max Out.
Elijah had reached his breaking point. What Lord, another crisis? Again?
Look at how Elijah reacts:
3 Elijah was afraid, so he got up and fled for his life . He went and sat down under a shrub and asked the Lord to take his life: I’ve had enough! Now, O Lord, take my life. After all, I’m no better than my ancestors.
- God Responds by Letting Elijah Sleep and Eat.
5He stretched out and fell asleep under the shrub. All of a sudden an angelic messenger touched him and said, Get up and eat.
6He looked and right there by his head was a cake baking on hot coals and a jug of water. He ate and drank and then slept some more.
7The Lord’s angelic messenger came back again, touched him, and said, Get up and eat, for otherwise you wont be able to make the journey.
I love how God cares for his people. He’s not a slave driver. He is our Dad, and He knows what you are going through. He gave Elijah cake!?It is okay to rest your cares on the shoulders of God. To remember as you work, that He controls the universe, not you. That He can supply you ALL that you need (be it wisdom, money, answers, resources, etc.).
a) REST in His presence and sleep on His lap.
We all need physical, as well as spiritual rest.
Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light. (Mt. 11:28-30)
b) EAT your natural and spiritual food.
I love how God gave Elijah cake.?It sure gave me comfort as I nibbled on my fried chicken!?Don’t neglect to take care of yourself physically and spiritually.?Give yourself a little treat.?And like Elijah, when your wood or energy seems dry, Soak it More.
I soak my spirit more by reading my Bible first thing in the morning.?I listen to podcasts in traffic.?I pour out my concerns in my journal.?When I was too tired to read, I soaked by listening to worship music and drown out the cares of the world. Soak so your heart can burn again with faith.
- God’s Rest Brings You Supernatural Abilities.
The answer to our problems is not in our overwork. Not in burning our candle at both ends. Sometimes, the simple answer is to REST.?REST in God’s abilities and the peace that you are His well-loved child.
Look what happened to Elijah:
8So he got up and ate and drank. That meal gave him the strength to travel forty days and forty nights until he reached Horeb, the mountain of God.
So dear reader, I pray that God, our loving capable Father, will give you His kind of rest. The rest that comes from the confidence that He is for you and not against you. That you will be able to do ALL things supernaturally, because Christ, your Savior, strengthens you.
Til the next blog : >