A Place to Pause

“At that time Jesus went off to a mountain to pray, and he spent the night praying to God.” 

Luke 6:12

Pause means you stop doing what you are currently doing.  You take a break.  For example – you pause a song to take a phone call and then return to the song by pushing the play button.  I took a pause this past week.  I just stopped my routine and went to the beach for a week.  Then I came back and hit “play” with my day-to-day life.  Pause does not mean we change anything; we just stop for a moment and do something else.

In the pause, I focused on just being present in God’s creation.  I ran on the beach.  Biked along the beach path.  Sat on the beach and walked in the water and waves.  Sat on the beach to watch the sunset and the moon rise and the stars which become brighter in the darkness.  I witnessed the beauty God created for our pleasure and heard the power of the water and the waves.  God is in the light, and God shines in the darkness.

Let me share with you some of my reflections during the pause at the beach –

God’s power is revealed in the power of the wind and the waves.  God’s power is intense, and it is stronger than anything we experience in life.  God is stronger than the burdens and problems we face.  Sometimes you just have to go into the wind and storms of life and face them.  When you turn around, God’s wind pushes you forward.  You cannot see the wind of God’s Spirit just like you cannot see the wind at the beach, but you see the results of the wind.  Allow the power of God to blow through you and be your guide and strength.

The waves always come.  Sometimes they are stronger and pound the shore, and other times the waves wash slowly onto the beach.  Sometimes the waves are gentle and sometimes they are intense.  God always comes into every situation.  Sometimes God comes very gently and quietly, and we need to look for Him, and other times we are more aware of God’s presence.  God is always with us.

 The sand is not solid, and it is easy to sink into the sand.  We feel at times that we sink in life, too.  We need God’s firm foundation to pull us out of the things of this world that cause us to sink.

The beach is beautiful with the water, the sand, the shells, but what completes the beauty is the clouds in the sky and the blueness of the sky.  You need to look up and sigh and breathe in the Holy Presence of God.  The clouds form all types of designs but what I enjoy the most are the angel wing clouds – light, wispy clouds that look like angel wings.  It reminds me that angels are all around us, but we do not always see them.  Angels are messengers and protectors of God.

Even in the pause, I kept moving.  I walked on the beach and in the water slowly.  I biked through the neighborhoods.  Movement reminds us we are alive and have purpose in the day.  Movement is also interaction.  Even in the pause, smile and be kind and receive the greeting in return.  It refreshes your view of the world.

Dark clouds come even at the beach.  We have cloudy and sad days in our spirit too.  It is giving yourself permission to have these sad moments.  Life will always have them.  Recognize your spirit can be sad.  I realized in my pause my spirit was sad because of those in my life experiencing sickness, cancer, aging issues, unexpected deaths.  The situations life brings are different than we had hoped and expected.  We may function well on the outside, but inside our spirits are sad.  Pause in the sadness.

In my pause, God refreshed me in His creation and warmed my spirit in His sunshine.  I found a place to pause.  I stopped for a moment.  I breathed in God’s Spirit.  My spirit began to heal as I stepped even closer to Jesus.

Jesus had a place to pause.  Jesus went into the mountains to be alone with His Father.  We need to learn from Jesus and follow His example.  You may not be able to physically go somewhere because of your circumstances, but you can pause in your day and find a space to be alone with your Heavenly Father.  Pause within your spirit and breathe in the power and healing presence of your Heavenly Father who loves you.

The pause helps to focus on what is important.  It gives an acceptance of your purpose.  It helps to recognize God’s power and that God is with you.  God has you.  Sometimes you need to pause from the routine and the things that overwhelm and get your attention and focus on what is most important – Jesus.  It is just me and Jesus.

 “Me and Jesus” – sung by Brad Paisley

 Me and Jesus got our own thing going.  Me and Jesus got it all worked out.  Me and Jesus got our own thing going. And we don’t need anybody to tell us what it’s all about.”

Take a pause with Jesus.

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