Have you considered having a holy pause? Spending some set apart moments, days or weeks connecting with God? Maybe taking time to linger, listening with greater intent, or sitting quietly to receive a Holy hug from God, let Him love on you as He always wants to do?
A holy pause can be defined as taking time to rest and be refreshed in body, soul and spirit. It can be having fun, a break from routine. It sounds delightful, doesn’t it? But the reality can be very different from our expectations. There can be resistance, an initial wrestling match of sorts before we learn to fully still our body and soul.
We may have trials to overcome, pressing problems to sort through and decisions to be made while seeking God’s best for us. The enemy loves to drive us to distraction when we’ve chosen to press pause on busyness.
Several weeks ago my body and mind were signalling their urgent need for rest. But I didn’t want to stop. I’d been on a roller-coaster ride of adrenaline over many months and hadn’t realised how faded and jaded I’d become.
When God whispers our need to pause
Eventually, God’s whispers became more persistent, persuasive and impossible to ignore. He speaks with great authority but so gently and lovingly that the yielding becomes an act of responsive love, as well as obedience and trust.
We need to see there is value in pleasing Him alone, in nurturing our inner life, shoring up the bruised battlements of our interior castle and rebuilding our depleted defences. We cannot exist forever in a state of saturation, feeling frazzled and in danger of burnout.
This is Holy Spirit work which we co-labour with. He is too much of a gentleman to commandeer us into obedience. It’s a choice He leads and guides us into, an act of will we become willing to pursue.
Maybe you can hear God knocking on the door of your heart? Could it be that you need to yield in an area you’ve been resisting for a while? Perhaps your times of Sabbath-keeping need to be extended or you require a real break from everything?
Making a choice to pause
Don’t be afraid, my friend. Though it seems daunting to step away and let go of stuff, we need to remember just Who is holding on to us. Although we may feel invisible without being so present to others, we are never overlooked or forgotten by God.
Led by Holy Spirit, we can make individual choices to strengthen and sustain us. For instance, I need sufficient physical rest but you might require walking and exercising more. Maybe your creativity has become stalled, and resting the familiar while taking on a new pursuit might be just what you need to revive the fire.
When “normal life” gets too overwhelming for me, I find that coming aside to rest, spending quality time engaging with God, close family and friends and appreciating the beauty of creation is what recharges me best. Because gratitude, love and relationship are at the heart of life and faith.
Our souls need sacred spaces and holy pauses in which to become revitalised, healed and whole. May you treat your lovely self to both in the days and weeks ahead and emerge refreshed.
**Friends, while I’m still in rest mode, words may be less frequent here for a while but you can catch me sharing regular mini blog posts on my Facebook page and over at Instagram. I’d love you to join me there! ** 🙂
So important to realize that rest looks different for everyone, Joy! Lovely to have these words of affirmation and encouragement from you today, friend! God bless you.
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Indeed it does, June! It’s lovely to see you and to be back to writing here again, my friend. May you find your own ways in which to relax and unwind during these long summer days. Every blessing of health and strength to you. xo
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Hi Joy,
I’m with you in needing a sacred space and holy pause — to just consider God. So much noise and stress surround us in life that it’s hard to give way to the quiet and be still. But that’s when — and I’ve found God doesn’t always provide insight quickly — with the time spent on dwelling in his presence, that we regain our strength and courage and energy to keep moving forward! Love this! xoxo
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Hi Valerie, it’s lovely to see you here and good to know you and I are kindred souls! Outer noise can be controlled to some extent but it’s often much harder to maintain inner quiet and calm, isn’t it? I agree that God can sometimes seem slow in providing insight. Maybe we grow stronger in faith during time spent in His presence and in the struggle to discover His plans and purposes for us. Clarity tends to come sooner when we are rested and stilled. Though I’m discovering it takes a bit of time and deliberation to achieve those things. No overnight wonder for soul care! May we find the necessary courage and strength we need to keep moving forward with joy, my friend.
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