The Power of Pause

Let’s admit it. Americans today are living in fast-paced times. There is a flurry of activity constantly around us beckoning for our attention and involvement. Many of these are not bad in and of themselves, but too much of a good thing can leave us frazzled and exhausted. What do we think we are accomplishing as we race through life at break-neck speeds? We may think we are achieving more, but in reality we are receiving less. Our race through life is causing us to miss many wonderful opportunities to connect with others on a deeper level as well as opportunities to learn and grow. A life based on urgency, speed, and productivity demands a high price both emotionally and spiritually, not to mention, physically. It can leave us overwhelmed and unfulfilled with life. Furthermore, it causes us chose the “urgent” over the “important” things in life—things like spending quality time with the ones we love, reflecting on our purpose, and pursuing a closer relationship with God. I once read the acronym for BUSY is “Being Under Satan’s Yoke.” It is true that he would love nothing more than to fill our lives with such business and clutter that we miss the true purpose for our existence—to love and glorify God.

There is tremendous power in slowing down to give oneself “sacred pauses” throughout the day. While life will continue to move swiftly by, we do have a choice in how we fast we move with it. However, we must make a deliberate choice to slow down or we, too, will move as quickly as it does with little time to breathe in between. May I suggest seven tips for taking these sacred little pauses.

1. Sit still. Find a spot in your home or garden to withdraw from your busy day and sit for at least 10 minutes. Do this every day at least once a day—twice if needed. Take a break and spend time with God. Sit and do nothing! Or, whisper prayers to God; or, watch and listen to the birds; or, close your eyes and feel the warmth of the sun on your face.

2. At the beginning of each new month as you fill in your calendar, mark a red X over 1 day on the calendar. Don’t fill this day with appointments or any other obligation. Give yourself permission to spend this day on yourself to do whatever you please. Consider this your sacred time, and do not feel guilty for indulging in it. Be fully alive and enjoy this special gift to yourself.

3. Embrace the mundane acts such as washing dishes, doing laundry, walking the dog, etc. Be fully aware that God is present in these moments just as much as He is when you are on your knees. Consider these mundane acts a form of prayer and invite Him into them too. Every ordinary moment is sacred if you invite God into it. Don’t miss the miracles there.

4. Hit the pause button. Let’s face it—we all hate to wait. Waiting implies wasting time, but instead of getting anxious the next time you have to wait in line…embrace the moment. Talk to the person next to you or offer up a prayer for someone in need. Embrace these slower moments as a gift and allow your mind to slow down a bit. Take in the scenery, or make a point of looking into someone’s face to smile at them. Hitting the pause button isn’t about achieving more, but receiving more. Give up the urgency and relish each sacred moment.

5. Lose what you don’t need. Get rid of stuff. Clutter fills your life. It wastes time and has the potential to leave you frazzled and exhausted. There is something stifling about the significance we attach to “stuff.” Why do we think we need more stuff to be happy or secure? Go through your house one room at a time and de-clutter. Throw away and get rid of what you don’t need. Better yet, donate it to a worthy cause. Then notice how liberating it feels to be clutter-free!

6. Recognize God’s presence. If we slow down enough and pay attention, we will discover that God is everywhere, even in the unkempt and often misunderstood. At the end of each day review what happened and look for places where you saw God’s presence. Allow yourself to see and receive God beyond the ideas and things you're certain of. Ask God to enlighten you and give you increased awareness of His everyday presence. You just might be amazed at how present He is even in the insignificant events that occur.

7. Rediscover the “kid” in you. Inside each one of us is enormous potential as God created us with unique talents and abilities. Reflect on how He made you and how you can use your uniqueness to glorify Him. Somewhere along life’s way we tend to become guarded and allow our fears to restrict us. Eventually we dismiss that we have anything valuable to offer. Let your guard down, and don’t worry about what others think. Ask God to help you rediscover your passions and then glorify Him through them.

I find it very interesting that even Jesus withdrew by himself daily to a solitary place where He could be alone and talk to His Father. If He found it necessary to take "time out" to refresh Himself, how much more do we need to!!!

"Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light." Matthew 11:28-30

"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10

"Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest. So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place." Mark 6:31-32

"But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed." Luke 5:16

Don't Eat the Seed

I hate poverty. I cannot even fathom watching my child go hungry while I am totally unable to provide nourishment for him. Sadly, many people in this world are going hungry. When I see or hear of stories involving starvation it bothers me incredibly. I would love nothing more than to eradicate such poverty. I heard a story once that moved me tremendously. In some remote African villages something very frustrating often happens. When villages receive seed to plant, they often immediately eat the seed rather than planting it and allowing it to bring forth a harvest. How can this be? Don’t they know they have to plant the seed in the dirt, water it, and allow it to grow before it will bring forth a rich harvest to feed them for a long time? Because of their great hunger, they immediately gobble up the seed, rather than wait for an abundant harvest. In many ways this story helps to explain how Christians can remain spiritually hungry and not see any results even though they have invested time by attending church, listening to the Word, and even reading it themselves. Unfortunately, some who read and study God’s Word still remain distant from God by remaining in their captivity. Is it because they are just “eating” the seed and not sowing it?

Let me explain further. Most Christians have spent countless hours in church listening to hundreds of sermons on how to be free in Christ, live an abundant life, and enjoy a vibrant relationship with the Lord. Many feel energized and empowered as they leave the sanctuary, determined to live as a new creation in Christ. For a little while they are strengthened, but before long they once again become frustrated by life’s many challenges and quickly revert to their old ways. Still others read the Bible as well as other inspiring Christian books on topics of God’s love, forgiveness, and peace. They feel moved by what they have read and compelled to change their ways, yet too often they seem unable to make any sort of lasting change. This is because they have “eaten” the seed instead of sowing it. The seed of God’s Word can temporarily satisfy our appetites by moving us deeply and giving us satisfaction, yet still not produce a harvest. This happens when we do not allow the seed to penetrate deeply by applying the Word of God to the reality of our lives. Jesus says that we must be doers of the Word, not just hearers. When we hear or read a good message and do not apply it to our practical life we are “eating” the seed instead of sowing it. Then we wonder why we are not growing in our Christian walk. Or we believe that God really isn’t answering our prayers because we are not getting the harvest He promised.

God says that a harvest is sown, not eaten as seed. We simply cannot forgo the “doing part.” Not only must we pray and read His Word, we must practice it in the difficult places of our lives, believing and trusting that God will bring about a harvest. Interestingly, a harvest does not occur overnight. Ask any farmer when he planted his crop how long it took before he could harvest it? So why do we want instant results? Why can’t we allow God to work in our hearts through our continued trust and obedience? Before there is any harvest, there is a time of waiting. We, too, must patiently wait for God to reveal His plans and purpose for us. While we are waiting, He is working. More often than not, it is our hearts He is working on! He simply loves us too much to leave us where we’re at. He wants to produce the fruit of the Spirit in us—love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We must be patient and diligently apply the Word of God to our lives. In due time, we will reap the harvest if we do not give up—He promises.

“Do not merely listen to the Word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says.”
James 1:22

“But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.” James 1:25

“Let us not become weary in doing good for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do not give up.” Gal 6:9

“The seed is the Word of God…But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the Word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop.”
Luke 8:11-15

Perception = Reality

Francis Frangipane wrote in Holiness, Truth and the Presence of God, “We perceive God through the filter of our need for Him.” I pondered on this statement for quite some time and came to the conclusion that Mr. Frangipane is 100% correct. I’ve been baffled why so many Christians who know and love the Lord find little time to draw closer to Him. I’m not trying to be critical or cynical about mankind, but what is it about human nature that he continuously strives to be self-reliant and independent of God? That is, of course, until a crisis arises. Then we are right there on our knees, crying out to God, and praying fervently for help. In His goodness and love, He grants us mercy and grace to help us.

A little equation that has in recent years been impressed upon me is Perception = Reality. In other words, what you perceive to be truth becomes your reality. If I perceive that someone does not like me, I will act accordingly, and probably go out of my way not to talk to that person. I may inadvertently even appear stuck-up or unkind. Before long my perception that I am not liked will probably become true because of my ugly attitude and unnecessary behavior. Or, if I perceive that I am heavy and unattractive, I will most likely not be diligent in any sort of exercise or weight loss program because I will be down on myself. My negative perception of myself will skew my reality as it screams loud and clear—Why should I bother doing anything to properly take care of my health and physical appearance?

Now let’s use this equation on the spiritual side of things. If everything in my life appears to be going good, my job is satisfying and rewarding me financially, my relationships are all flourishing, and my health is strong, I may not feel the need to connect with God on a regular basis. My perception is that things are just fine as they are, therefore, I may exert little effort in the area of pursuing God on a deeper level. Why? Because my perception is that things are going well enough on their own and presently I don’t need much from God. So, my reality becomes “Why bother going deeper?” Excuse me for sounding redundant, but since I perceive things are fine without pursuing a deeper relationship with God, my reality becomes that it is not necessary for me to do so, and in my sinful, flesh-filled human nature, I will likely do little to nothing to pursue God on a deeper scale.

On the other hand, if I recognize and perceive my need for God in order to live a fulfilling and abundant life, my reality will become my quest to draw closer to Him through solitude, prayer, and reading of the Word. The “awareness” of my inadequacy without Him becomes the fuel which propels me toward finding deep significance, thereby pursuing a satisfying relationship with Him. My perception is that life without God is meaningless and futile, and my reality becomes that I absolutely must seek after Him with all of my heart and hunger for Him as I do for my daily bread. Then I will not be guilty of only seeking after Him when a crises arises and then settling for mediocrity again when it passes, but will continue to hunger and thirst for Him knowing that He is the Answer to all of my deepest longings.

No matter where you are in your faith walk, and whether or not you consciously recognize it, God alone is the fulfillment of our chief desire in all of life. Consider yourself richly blessed when your spiritual eyes have been opened and your hungry soul has been satisfied by the Living God, the true Bread of Life. No longer will the former things satisfy. Rather you will be on your way to a more meaningful, purpose-driven, and abundant life—one that only God can supply.

“Then Jesus declared, “I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” John 6:35

“But seek first his kingdom and righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.” Matthew 6:33

“Why spend money on what is not bread, and your labor on what does not satisfy? Listen, listen to me, and eat what is good, and your soul will delight in the richest of fare.” Isaiah 55:2