Stop!

Elijah did as the LORD told him and camped beside Kerith Brook.

FOR YEARS, YOU’VE SEEN commercials of a little pink battery-operated bunny beating a drum who . . . “keeps going, and going. . . .”

Many of us think we are that bunny, driven to keep going, going, and going. While hard work is admirable, and diligence is necessary, so is stopping. Even race-car drivers in the lead have to take a pit stop and have their crew change tires and refuel.

My favorite example from the Bible is Elijah, the prophet who had to constantly battle evil kings who were in leadership in Israel: “The LORD said to Elijah, ‘Go to the east and hide by Kerith Brook, near where it enters the Jordan River. Drink from the brook and eat what the ravens bring you, for I have commanded them to bring you food.’ So Elijah did as the LORD told him and camped beside Kerith Brook, east of the Jordan. The ravens brought him bread and meat each morning and evening, and he drank from the brook” (1 Kings 17:2-6).

God told him to stop, so he stopped. He completely unplugged. The ravens’ feeding him is a precursor to our room service. He pulled away from all people and stopped all activity. The only things he could do in this isolated spot were eat, drink, rest, and worship. (He might have done a few stretches, but there’s no record of any aerobic activity!)

Take out your yearly calendar, and mark off rest periods with stop signs. Look for times of fast pace, demanding deadlines, or significant life changes (like a child being married or leaving for college), and place a stop sign—a break—after those activities or transitions.

Like the wise race-car driver who strategically plans pit stops, you, too, might find yourself in the winner’s circle.