Pause

Pause. What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear or read that word? For some I would think their mind goes to movies, as does mine. Some awkward face on an actor, frozen in mid word while we get more popcorn or use the restroom.
Maybe one thinks of our good old VCR players back in the day.

But What about in our lives? Do we ever truly PAUSE?

In his book Velvet Elvis, Rob Bell speaks of how he had to learn to take a "sabbath". He had to intentionally set aside a day for him to not check his email, answer his phone, and make himself available to the ones he loves the most.

Bell states:
"Sabbath is taking a day to remind myself that I did not make the world, and it will continue to exist without my efforts."
"Sabbath is a day where my work is done, even if it isn't."
"Sabbath is a day where my job is to enjoy. Period."
"Sabbath is a day when I remind myself that I am not a machine"

One of the things that I personally struggle with is indeed this. Amidst the job, schoolwork, fixing the car, cutting the lawn, baseball practice, meetings at church, services at Church, deadlines, discussion preparation, event planning, report writing........

If there is no pause in the midst of these things, it is just a matter of time until I don't want to do ANY of it anymore. Not that these things are bad things, and not that these things are not important.

How do we expect to hear God's Voice when we are constantly running and doing and striving and busy? The answer friends, is simple.

We don't.

I would encourage any one of my friends to try this. Take a Sabbath. Take a pause. Try it for a whole day. You may even have trouble at first. Let your engine come to an idle. Daydream. Pray. Ask for God to speak to you. Clear your mind. Accomplish nothing.

What does God want to communicate to you?

Hebrews 4:9-11 ESV So then, there remains a Sabbath rest for the people of God, for whoever has entered God's rest has also rested from his works as God did from his. Let us therefore strive to enter that rest, so that no one may fall by the same sort of disobedience.