When a Bologna Sandwich Nearly Broke Me

Sometimes you’re not losing your patience. You’re just losing your energy.

Summer, y’all.

That means all six of our monkeys are home.

All.

Day.

Every.

Day.

Well… technically five. The oldest is off working her first big-girl job these days, but that’s a story for another Carpool Chaos.

The rest?

They’re here.

Everywhere.

All at once.

Now don’t get me wrong. I love summer. I love the slower mornings, popsicles on the porch, muddy feet, late bedtimes and hearing kids laugh outside.

But I also work from home.

Which means while I’m chasing deadlines, someone is chasing chickens.

While I’m interviewing someone on the phone, somebody else is yelling that someone won’t play with them.

I’m trying to write stories while simultaneously keeping five children alive, attempting to keep the house halfway clean, managing everyone’s schedule, feeding a small army, watering a garden that’s hanging on by a thread this year, making sure the farm animals survive another Louisiana heat wave… and somewhere in all of that, we’re trying to help plant a church.

It’s a lot.

And stress has a funny way of leaking out in places you never expected.

🥪 The Sandwich That Sent Me Over the Edge

The other day I decided lunch was going to be easy.

Peanut butter and jelly.

Turkey sandwiches.

Simple.

Or so I thought.

One child wanted only peanut butter.

Another wanted only jelly.

“Not grape! Strawberry!” (Because the declaration must be said with their full chest.)

One wanted a regular PB&J.

One wanted turkey.

“No mustard.”

Then…

“Mom, can I cut my own tomato?”

The toddler had abandoned the idea of bread altogether and was screaming because I said he could not eat peanut butter directly from the jar with a spoon.

Somewhere behind me I heard:

“Can I have sweet tea?”

“I want chocolate milk.”

“I want another sandwich.”

(Keep in mind I hadn’t even finished making the first round.)

Every request by itself was completely reasonable.

None of my children were being bad.

They were just being kids.

Then my sweet husband walked in.

He’d spent the morning driving kids everywhere while trying to get his own work done.

He smiled and simply said,

“Could I have a couple pieces of bologna too?”

And I almost burst into tears.

Not because of the bologna.

Poor man didn’t deserve the look I gave him.

It wasn’t about the sandwich.

It was about the thousand tiny requests that came before it. All stacked on top of each other like the toddler had put together a Jenga tower. Now that tower was tumbling.

😴 Elijah Wasn’t Weak. He Was Worn Out.

There’s a story in Scripture that has become one of my favorites.

After Elijah defeated the prophets of Baal on Mount Carmel in one of the greatest demonstrations of God’s power ever recorded (1 Kings 18), you’d expect him to be fearless.

Instead, one threat from Queen Jezebel sent him running into the wilderness.

Eventually he collapsed beneath a broom tree and prayed,

“I have had enough, Lord… Take my life…” (1 Kings 19:4)

Think about that.

The man who had just called fire down from heaven that engulfed a dripping wet altar wasn’t defeated by a person.

He was defeated by exhaustion.

And I absolutely love God’s response. God didn’t begin with a sermon. He didn’t tell Elijah to pray harder. He didn’t say, “Come on, Elijah. You’re stronger than this.”

Instead…

He let him sleep.

Then He fed him.

Then He let him sleep again.

Only after Elijah had rested did God begin speaking to his heart (1 Kings 19:5-13).

Sometimes our first spiritual need isn’t another Bible study.

Sometimes it’s a nap.

🌿 Exhaustion Lies to Us

When we’re tired, everything feels bigger.

• The dishes feel impossible.
• The laundry looks endless.
• Every child sounds louder.
• Every request feels heavier.
• Every interruption feels personal.

We begin believing things that simply aren’t true.

• “I’m failing.”
• “I’m a terrible mom.”
• “I can’t do this.”
• “Nobody appreciates me.”

But exhaustion is a terrible narrator.

It tells stories that aren’t real.

The truth is…

You might simply need rest.

❤️ Jesus Understands Human Limits

Jesus Himself understood this.

After intense ministry, He regularly withdrew to quiet places to pray (Luke 5:16).

When the disciples returned exhausted from serving, Jesus didn’t immediately send them back to work.

He said,

“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” (Mark 6:31)

Jesus also extended that same invitation to all of us.

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Notice what He doesn’t say.

He doesn’t say, “Come to me once you’ve got your life together.”

He doesn’t say, “Come to me after you’ve cleaned the house, answered the emails, folded the laundry and figured everything out.”

He simply says,

Come while you’re weary.

Rest isn’t something we earn after we finish our to-do list.

It’s something Jesus offers in the middle of it.

Rest isn’t laziness.

Rest is obedience.

God designed us with limits.

We just keep pretending we don’t have any.

🐑 The Shepherd Knows Tired Sheep

One of my favorite passages is Psalm 23.

David doesn’t say the Shepherd points toward a green pasture and tells the sheep to hurry up and find it.

He says,

“He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul.” (Psalm 23:2-3)

I don’t know about you, but sometimes I’m so busy trying to keep everyone else fed, watered and rested that I forget my own soul needs restoring too.

The Shepherd knows something we often forget.

Tired sheep don’t make good decisions.

They wander.

They become anxious.

They startle easily.

They can’t keep going forever.

So sometimes God lovingly slows us down before life forces us to stop.

Maybe that’s what this season is teaching me.

Maybe the answer isn’t becoming a better multitasker.

Maybe it’s becoming a better follower of the Shepherd.

Three Different Places. Same God.

Elijah met Him beneath a broom tree.

David met Him in green pastures beside still waters.

I met Him standing in my kitchen with a loaf of bread in one hand, peanut butter on the counter and someone asking for bologna.

Three different places.

Same God.

The God who fed Elijah under a broom tree…

The Shepherd who restores weary souls…

The Savior who says,

“Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

…is the same God who meets us in our kitchens while we’re making peanut butter sandwiches.

He isn’t waiting for us to become less overwhelmed before He comes near.

He steps right into the middle of the chaos.

And somehow—even when lunch falls apart and somebody’s crying because you used grape jelly instead of strawberry—His grace is enough for today.

🚗 Carpool Chaos Challenge

This week, before assuming you’re angry, impatient or failing…

Ask yourself a different question.

Am I actually just tired?

Maybe the answer isn’t pushing harder.

Maybe it’s ordering pizza.

Leaving the dishes until tomorrow.

Taking a walk.

Drinking your coffee while it’s still hot.

Going to the bathroom when you need to, not when you’ve finished your task. 

Or maybe it’s accepting Jesus’ invitation to come to Him while you’re weary instead of waiting until you think you’ve earned a break.

🙏 Guided Prayer

Father,

Thank You for creating us with limits. Forgive me for believing I have to do everything perfectly or carry every burden alone.

When I’m exhausted, help me recognize it before frustration spills onto the people I love most. Give me wisdom to know when I need to keep going and when I simply need to rest.

Thank You for never asking me to have it all together before coming to You. Thank You for meeting me in my weariness, restoring my soul and reminding me that Your grace is enough for today.

Help me trust You enough to rest in You.

In Jesus’ name,

Amen.

💛 This Week’s Action Steps

• Spend five quiet minutes with God before picking up your phone.
• Ask yourself, “Am I upset… or am I exhausted?”
• Give yourself permission to simplify one meal this week without guilt.
• Read Psalm 23 slowly and let each verse remind you that God is your Shepherd, not your taskmaster.
• Ask for help when you need it.
• Extend grace to someone else who might be carrying more than you can see.