Enjoy the Pause

Good morning! It's Wednesday!

I woke this morning one full hour earlier than usual. I had no immediate reason to get up but I felt a sense of doing just that. An urgency to get up... go outside....So at 5:45, hot cup of tea and the Word of God I head outside to my deck. It's cool this morning. The air is crisp and I'm guessing, by their singing, the birds of the air are loving it! I can tell the sunrise is going to be beautiful by all of the beautiful hues of oranges, reds and yellows peaking just above the horizon. Funny, this morning I'm thankful. I'm not thinking about later, when I'll be tired from having at least an hour less of sleep. Instead, thankful for this hour, the quiet.....not another thing to do but sit at Jesus' feet and enjoy creation. Before my feet hit the floor I listened to one of my devotions. It talked about "pause points". Here's a snipit:

"Atul Gawande, in his book The Checklist Manifesto, shows how doctors can use a checklist to save lives during surgery. Gawande’s checklist includes three vital “pause points”: before anesthesia, before incision, and before leaving the operating room.
Each pause point lasts no more than a minute—just long enough for the team to make basic checks. The results? In 2008, eight hospitals began using Gawande’s checklist, and within months, the rate of major complications fell by 35 percent and deaths by 47 percent."

It goes on to say that God, in his word, gives us pause points as well. In Genesis, God models for us the pause. After creating for six days, the heavens and the earth and all that is in it, the seventh was a day of rest. A time to pause from the work that he had done.
In Exodus after the people were delivered from slavery they were given the Sabbath as a pause point that was to be dedicated to God in thanksgiving for their deliverance.

"The Israelites are to observe the Sabbath, celebrating it for the generations to come as a lasting covenant. It will be a sign between me and the Israelites forever, for in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, and on the seventh day he rested and was refreshed.’ ”
Exodus 31:16‭-‬17

 
"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."
Isaiah 40:28‭-‬31

Renew - give fresh life or strength to; revive.

I could never begin to list the times I've needed renewal. To start fresh, begin again. This morning I feel like the "pause point" really "clicked" with me. I don't actually seek renewal. I just get on with the next thing on my agenda. Push, push, push until my to-do list is done and THEN I might collapse and sleep....starting over again the next day. OR quite the opposite. The to-do list is long and overwhelming so I do nothing at all.

Revive - to bring back to life,” to “restore to consciousness,” or to “restore to a previous condition. Restoration, rejuvenation, or renewal of interest.

Sometimes I feel like I'm just doing life. Going about day to day but not really excited. During my first stint leading GriefShare one major suggestion when grieving is to just "do the next thing". Now, in grieving, that is a really good point. Really good..... early in my grief that might have been taking a bath, maybe brushing my teeth. I talked to a recent widow suggesting to her to do just that and she replied, "I get dressed everyday." It's a great piece of advice from professionals and spiritual leaders and in some ways there are still days I function like that. Forcing myself to do something....anything.
But, thinking about the "pause" gives me a different perspective. It's actually okay to sit down in the middle of the afternoon with a refreshing glass of ice tea, perhaps read a book, catch up with a friend, go shopping. As I sit here in the quiet this morning, reading my Bible, after having rested my body..... I am renewing my energy, refreshing my spirit, refilling my mind, reviving my soul.....refueling my body.

RESTING
RENEWING
REFRESHING
REFILLING
REFUELING

The spiritual pause is vital in my walk with the Lord. It's necessary, it's important.

"This is my comfort in my affliction,
That Your word has revived me."
Psalm 119:50

God, help me to pause and be refreshed by your word. Help me to not be distracted by the world and things that really don't matter. Help me to not get caught up in the busyness of my endless to-do list. Help me to make every moment count for your glory whether at work or at rest. Help me to understand the importance of the pause. Even if it's just five minutes. Thank you for waking me up to see the beautiful sunrise. Thank you for impressing upon me the need to be obedient. Thank you for showing me that obedience isn't always painful...that you are a gracious God who wants good things for his children.

 
Have a beautiful day. Enjoy the pause. Be the hands and feet of Jesus.