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

Living Mindfully

Have you ever stopped to reflect on how quickly time seems to fly by? When a person is young this question never enters the mind. Interestingly, one usually doesn’t take inventory of “time” until he or she ages. Youth holds the promise of a bright future as one anticipates entering college, meaningful relationships, and traveling the world. Eventually thoughts turn to marriage and children, and thereafter, career and family matters take precedence. At least that is how it was for me. It was not until I got older that I became increasingly more aware of how fleeting time really is. No sooner was one birthday celebrated when the next one magically appeared. Where did the time go? Both the unexpected and anticipated moments seem to come and go as quickly as spring is ushered in after a long, cold winter.

The fact that I have now become cognoscente of the brevity of life allows me to savor each day and live it to its fullest. There are times, however, when I “forget” and in my haste I return to the multi-tasking mode of the past. I begin performing various tasks simultaneously and yet I’m not really present in the moment at all. You know what I mean. You’re busy unloading the dishwasher as you’re preparing supper and your husband is talking to you while your child is whining in the background. You half-heartedly carry on a conversation with him while you try to ignore the cries of your child, as you’re cooking tonight’s dinner and then you find yourself putting the butter in the dishwasher!!! Maybe the situation is not quite that bad, but you get my point! You are not giving your best anywhere because you are trying to do too many things at the same time.

I recently went on a weekend retreat and the theme was about “living mindfully.” To live mindfully is to live fully in the moment. Not in some multi-tasking whirlwind sort of way, but fully embracing and enjoying whomever you are with or whatever you are doing. It is being fully alive and aware of the present moment. Although the culture of today tries to teach us the art of multi-tasking, I believe that when you try to do too much at the same time it lessens the quality of the experience.

So, how do you begin to live mindfully? The speaker encouraged us to take “sacred pauses”—to carve out time and take deliberate pauses in the day wherein you stop what you are doing and talk to God, or look out the window and enjoy His creation, or do some deep breathing and realize God’s breathe is in you, or reflect on His grace and goodness. These pauses help you to live in the now. They bring you back to reality and the reason for your existence—to have a relationship with the Creator of the Universe, and to live thankfully and lovingly with all those that He has put in your path. These pauses make space for God in your life and allow you to live with an open heart of love and gratitude. So many wonderful experiences of God are all around us, yet we often don’t see them when we are hurrying about our days.

The New Testament uses two different words for time: Chronos and Kairos. Chronos is the time governed by the clock. It includes time tables and pre-arranged work schedules. It is task driven and hurried. Chronos time misses out on the joy of the moment for the purpose of completing a task. Kairos time, on the other hand, is measured by events or special moments and allows for meaningful experiences and memories that are long-lasting and precious. It savors those special moments when time seems to stand still as one relishes a memory, a laugh or smile, a meaningful conversation. Even Scripture charges us to redeem our time and use it for all it is worth. “See then that you walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” Ephesians 5:15-16

Remember the story of Mary and Martha? Martha became angry and frustrated because she was torn between chronos (the schedule and the tasks) and kairos time (the special moment of sitting at Jesus’ feet). Her sister Mary chose the better part. She relished the moments sitting at her Teacher’s feet.

So my question to you is “How do you use your time?” Are you always in a hurry? Are you missing out on life experiences because the activity or task at hand is becoming more important than the people you are doing it for? Hurrying means losing touch with those around you and it creates a cluttered life rather than a simplified life. Never forget that “Time is the soil in which relationships grow.”

As Christians we are to aim for a balanced life. There are times when it is more prudent to live in chronos mode. However, we must deliberately pursue living in kairos mode too. Look for the kairos even in the seemingless insignificant tasks and remember that God is in them too. Scripture tells us that “there is a time for everything and a season for every activity under heaven.” Ecclesiastes 3:1

Place speed limits on your life to maintain a pace that is safe, sane, and steady. Take “sacred pauses” often throughout your day. One of my favorite sayings of all times is “Every new day is God’s gift to you. What you do with it is your gift to God.” If you can remember this and practice doing it, you will learn what it means to live mindfully. You’ll redeem your time and it will be lived more passionately. And I don’t know any better way we can spend our time than investing ourselves in others and storing up treasures in heaven!

Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.
1 Tim 6:18-19

And we pray this in order that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and may please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God. Col 1:10