“Elijah walked a whole day into the wilderness. He stopped and sat down in the shade of a tree and wished he would die. “It’s too much, Lord,” he prayed. “Take away my life; I might as well be dead!” (1 Kings 19:4, GNT)

     Holy Week is a challenging time for a pastor. A great deal of preparation goes on behind the scenes. Multiple services are planned and conducted. Coordination and alignment of staff activities are imperative.

     Then Easter Monday arrives. This year I arose in the early morning with a case of pink eye. Hail thee festival day!

     The reality with which I was dealing has a name. Crash landing. More commonly known as the post-event blues.

     The long-awaited day has come and gone. The wedding for which you spent the better part of a year planning. The vacation toward which you had been for so long waiting. The project that took you months to finish.

     You think you would be reveling in euphoria. Instead, you find yourself lumbering through the doldrums. So did Elijah. Following a fantastic display of courage in facing down the enemies of God, Elijah thought he would bathe in the glory of victory. Instead, he found himself in the depths of depression. Elijah crashed hard.

     What’s encouraging, however, is this pattern of an extreme high followed by a corresponding low is by design. Psychologist, Shilagh Mirgain, claims that the letdown allows for a period of rest and recalibration. Mirgain writes, “Everything in nature has a rest period…that allows you to reboot before whatever the new goal is.”

     Following Elijah’s own thrilling moment, God provided him food and an opportunity for a nap. Elijah was wise enough to take advantage of such blessings. So should you. Take a few days off from work. Go for a long walk. Find a hammock and catch a few rays. Read the book you haven’t yet picked up.

     As a commercial from once-upon-a-time chimed:

                         You deserve a break today. So, get up and get away….