The Beauty of the Pause

​Recently my therapist told me that to take a break during a fight, to walk away and pause for a few minutes, is not giving up.  It’s simply giving yourself permission to stop instead of simply reacting.  To take a deep breath and analyze a situation rationally.  It’s giving yourself permission to slow down time without making a rushed decision based on your current emotions or perceptions.  I considered it strange that I had never thought to do this before but I guess I felt like walking away, even for a moment, would mean giving up.  It’s interesting though because when I put this advice into action everything worked out beautifully and made sense. 
            Isn’t that how we feel about life sometimes?  God wants us to pause…to go and be with him or just take a breath and step away from the chaos and to do lists.  Yet we keep going through our days as though we are robots that would malfunction if we possibly took the time to rest.  And I don’t mean watching tv, getting a massage, or scrolling through your phone.  I mean just sitting without doing anything and breathing deeply.  Indeed, we are human beings, not human doers.  Yet, we live in a world of instant gratification that tells us to do more, be more, and achieve more to be happy.
            I’m currently taking an online class on the science of well-being and this week we are practicing savoring moments, even the small ones.  Today while I was pushing my little boy on the swing I reminded myself to appreciate that moment fully.  I took in the joy from his smile, the air filled with his laughter, and just fully bathed in the weight of that moment.  I was filled with so much peace just from that simple act.  Through normally a senseless task of folding laundry I chose to pause and look for how I could savor it.  I thanked God for the hands that could move and feel the warmth of the clean sheets and a nose that could smell the freshness.  Pausing seems to weigh a moment down and slow down time bringing about a peace that rushing never could.  The irony is that I already know this…I’ve counted my blessings and made my gratitude lists and read 1000 gifts by Ann Voskamp.  However, I need to be reminded to slow down because we live in a world constantly telling us that faster is better and it’s so easy to get caught up in that perception. 
            Although this Coronavirus has brought about much chaos, I’m an eternal optimist so I have to look for the good in it.  And I believe that good is reminding our society to slow down and pause.  In doing so, we may begin to savor moments, focus on what’s important, think clearer, give more, and love better.  To those of you like me who don’t like to give up…go take a break…it doesn’t mean you are quitting.  Give yourself permission to slow down and just be still.  You will have more energy, time, and love for your family and the world than you had before.  You can’t give from an empty cup.  I pray that during this time you may receive God’s love, rest, be still, and be filled with more than enough to give back when this is all over.  I hope less people will respond with “I’m so busy” when asked how they are doing.  A man preparing to climb mount Everest won’t use that phrase because his time is intentional.  I pray our time, actions, and overall perception on life become more sculpted with intention and meaning.  Let not your days be wasted…we are all here for a purpose. 
 

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