Feeling Overwhelmed?

This Sunday's reading starts out with Elijah ready to give up and asking the Lord to take him to his Heavenly home (1 Kings 19:4-8). He had enough. He was over it. How often do we get completely overwhelmed in our lives, and feel like we've come to the end of our rope and have nothing left to give?

I look around at the giant mess that is my home. My to do list is a mile long. I have homework to do, along with make up homework. I have laundry, grocery

shopping, dishes.... And now my air conditioner is leaking... Again. It just seems like there's not enough hours in the day to get everything done. I often wonder how others manage it all. Then I realize we all generally feel this way. Being an adult isn't easy. There's a reason why the Bible is filled with encouragements. We need it. We need that food for our soul to nourish us and keep us going when our soul is tired.

Sometimes we just need a few words of encouragement to keep the flame of our faith going. When we keep our eyes open, that encouragement can come from anywhere. Sometimes it's a nice complement from a stranger. Sometimes it's in the daily Bible reading. Sometimes it's in the lyrics of a song you hear as you go along your day. There is power in words. They can lift us up or break us down. Using our words wisely can help change lives.

Other times it's putting others first that helps put our lives into perspective. When we take our minds off our own problems by helping someone else, we are able to stop dwelling on how bad we have things. It may sound counterintuitive, but it gives us a bit of a mental break to focus on someone else's problems rather than

our own. Charitable works are always a good way to help us realize that we aren't alone in our problems. And rather that becoming part of the issue, we can become a part of a solution instead. Even something as simple as taking care of our own children or pets, can help keep us from dwelling on the negative. It's difficult to feel down when innocent eyes look at you with love.

And then sometimes we all need a break from our normal lives. Last week I wrote about the value of going on retreat. Vacations and self care of all kinds allow us to put the metaphorical break on our lives and let us slow down for just a bit. It gives us the opportunity to catch our breath before running to the next thing calling for our attention. If we can't afford an expensive vacation to Tahiti or the

Bahamas, which most of us can't, we can still take some time for ourselves. Little things can keep us going too. Take a long soak in a bubble bath with a glass of wine and candles to create a spa like atmosphere (just remember to use the candles safely if they're real ones). Working on a hobby that you feel you don't get enough time to spend on can be surprisingly uplifting. Turn on some uplifting music, jack up the volume and dance around the house. Other's might think you are crazy, but who cares? It's fun and refreshing to just let your body move. Go outside and take a walk or hike.

God also gave us the sacraments. Some of them are for specific landmarks in your life, meant only to be done once. But the sacraments of Confession and the Eucharist are meant to be participated in as often as possible. Confession gives us a way to unburden our souls from the weight of sin. It wipes us clean and makes it to where we can begin again anew. It's where we can get it all out, and give ourselves permission to be forgiven as well as to obtain the mercy of Christ. Along with this miracle, God gave us himself as nourishment for our soul. Every time we go to communion, we literally take the Jesus into our body and soul. He alone can accomplish what everything else cannot. We take a bit of the King of

the Universe into us. And if He can create and run the cosmos, it's a minor, tiny thing for Him to ease our burdens and grant us peace. Not only do we as Catholics have the Eucharist, but we also have the Blessed Sacrament in our churches, where we can come and kneel in front of Jesus in the flesh, as the Living God. We can bring our heartaches, headaches, and problems straight to the altar where He is. We can give them up to Him, and know that we can rest in peace, and that he promises us he will take care of us. All we have to do is surrender ourselves and trust in his Word.

So many things are food for our soul, that feed us for our journey through life. We can be like Elijah when the angel woke him up and told him to eat before taking his long journey. Let's eat our fill of goodness to give us strength to continue on.