Living with a Sound Mind
Don’t have time to sit and read? Press play and listen while you fold laundry, drive carpool, or cook dinner. This one’s for the mom who feels like her calendar is louder than her soul.
“And after the fire came a gentle whisper…” 1 Kings 19:12
Does your calendar feel louder than your soul right now? Midway through the season… football games, volleyball tournaments, homecoming prep, dress shopping, tests, and something on the calendar every single night. You finally hit that moment where you think, “I just can’t anymore.”
Even God’s prophets hit that wall. Elijah knew that same exhaustion in 1 Kings 19.
Just days earlier, he had stood in one of the boldest showdowns in Scripture. Two altars. Two prayers. The prophets of Baal cried out all day, cutting themselves, begging for fire to fall, but nothing happened. Then Elijah rebuilt the Lord’s altar, drenched it with water three times until it was dripping into the trenches, and prayed one simple prayer.
And heaven answered.
Fire fell from above and swallowed up everything…the altar, the stones, even the water in the trench. Imagine the gasp of the crowd, the shock of the prophets of Baal. It was holy. It was unmistakable. It was God proving Himself in a way no one could deny.
But right after the mountaintop moment came the valley. Jezebel, the queen who worshiped Baal, sent a message: “By this time tomorrow, you’re a dead man.”
And Elijah unraveled.
The prophet who had just called down fire didn’t march forward in courage. He collapsed. His body gave out. His emotions crashed. His spirit broke. He ran into the wilderness, curled up under a broom tree, and whispered to God: “I’ve had enough.”
And how did God respond? He didn’t shame him. He didn’t say, “After everything I’ve done for you, this is how you repay Me?” He sent an angel. Not with a lecture, not with a list, but with warm bread and water. Then Elijah laid back down, and the angel let him. Because sometimes the most spiritual thing you can do is rest and eat something nourishing.
Where it Meets Us
Sometimes our schedules run us so ragged we want to collapse too. If Elijah needed bread, water, and rest, then I do too. So do you.
We can drown ourselves in busyness until we’re too tired to hear God’s voice. But this story reminds us: God doesn’t meet us with guilt when we’re worn out. He meets us with care. With nourishment. With His whisper.
After forty days, Elijah ended up at Mount Horeb. He tucked himself into a cave, maybe waiting for God to show up big again. First came a violent wind… but God wasn’t in the wind. Then an earthquake… but God wasn’t in the earthquake either. Then fire… but God wasn’t in the fire this time.
And then… stillness.
A whisper. A voice so quiet it could’ve been missed if Elijah hadn’t stopped to listen.
That’s where God was. Not in the chaos. Not in the performance. Not in the adrenaline of a miracle moment. In the quiet.
How I Protect My Peace
I’ve never collapsed under a broom tree, but I have melted down in the carline, the kitchen, or in the middle of a spinning brain that just won’t quiet down.
And while no angel has shown up in my kitchen with warm bread (though I wouldn’t turn it away), I’ve learned over time that peace doesn’t just happen. It has to be tended to…the way Elijah was tended to.
For me, that looks like small rhythms that care for my body, mind, and spirit… anchors that help me hear God’s voice when everything else gets loud.
- I move my body regularly, not to chase a number, but to ease stress, build strength, and sleep better.
- I eat real food and get to bed at a decent time, because foggy brains and spiritual weariness are often linked.
- I follow the same simple routine each morning: make the bed, pick up clothes, wash my face, feed the dogs. Nothing glamorous, just anchors.
- And before the noise of the day builds, I open my Bible. I fix my eyes. I ask God to reset my thoughts before I go reset everyone else’s.
- Even in the afternoon, when I start to feel scattered again, I’ve started setting a timer. Just five minutes of stillness before I shift into uber-mom mode. Sometimes I walk. Sometimes I nap. Sometimes I pray or just sit in the quiet and say, “Jesus, I need You.”
These aren’t perfect habits. They don’t magically create peace. But they do carve out space for the whisper. And more often than not, that’s where I hear Him.
Reflection
Your life already has rhythms: morning alarms, after-school carpools, late-night kitchen cleanups. What if instead of wishing for a quieter season, you asked where God might already be whispering in the middle of those ordinary moments?
Reset Step
Pick one of your existing rhythms today and layer in stillness.
- On the drive: turn the volume down.
- In the kitchen: pause before you load the dishwasher.
- At bedtime: sit for one quiet minute before scrolling.
Then pray: “Jesus, quiet my thoughts so I can hear You.”
Freebie: Broom Tree Rhythms — A Daily Reset for the Worn Out
Freebie: Broom Tree Rhythms : A Daily Reset for the Worn Out
If you’ve been running on empty, this freebie is for you.
Broom Tree Rhythms is a simple daily tracker inspired by Elijah’s story in 1 Kings 19. It’s not about doing more, it’s about creating space to reset your mind, body, and spirit.
Inside, you’ll find:
- A rhythm-based checklist: rest, movement, nourishing food, Scripture, and stillness
- A daily line to reflect: “Where did I hear the whisper today?”
- Gentle reminders that clarity begins in quiet, not chaos
This is your invitation to stop striving and start rebuilding…one small rhythm at a time.
[Click here to download your free Broom Tree Rhythms tracker.]
Want access to this freebie and more tools like it?
Subscribe to The Reset Room: a free library of Scripture-based resources to help you reset your mind and breathe again.
Once you confirm your email, you’ll get the password to unlock everything inside, including today’s freebie: Broom Tree Rhythms.
Check your junk folder just in case the confirmation email hides in there!
Until next time, remember: you’re not alone, and clarity begins with your gaze!
HER VIEW OF HIS GRACE 
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