Pausing in Permissible
Published Oct 17, 2023
By Gaye Lindfors
Have you had those days, weeks, or seasons where life seems wonky? Maybe you feel like this …
… You’ve been invited to a dance party, you show up in a ballet tutu, and everyone else is doing the fox trot.
… Someone forgot to tell you that the potluck was vegetarian only and you brought the hamburger hotdish.
… You drafted an angry and whiny email that you intended to delete once you got the frustration out of your system, but as you reached across the keyboard to finish off your 1-pound bag of M&Ms, your elbow hit the Send button.
Good grief.
Life can be a bit much sometimes, right? It can feel overwhelming, and you don’t know where to go or what to do next, so you just keep going in circles.
Oh, friend. Scoot in here and let’s chat for a bit.
First of all, you are loved deeply, no matter how you feel right now. Your feelings may be based on something that is true (I am feeling overwhelmed), or something that is not true (I’ll never get my act together). Your life matters, even if it seems to be spiraling out of control.
Where you are now? You don’t have to pretend everything is going great. You don’t have to be perky when perkiness got off at the last bus stop. Sometimes you just need to sit in the moment, breathe deeply, and accept the fact that things are tougher than usual.
And now, please lean in and hear my heart …
It’s OK to pause. Really. It’s OK. You can pause.
Your pause might be for just a moment to catch your breath. Or it might be an extended nap and someone else picks up the work for a while. Or you may decide that you simply need to say, “No more.” This responsibility or commitment needs to stop and I’m not going to restart it.
Saying pause doesn’t make you incompetent. It doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means that you are smart enough to realize what really matters, what is possible in this moment or season, and you are figuring out a different way of working, living, doing all the things, and taking care of you.
You are a masterpiece. And The Greatest Artist of All Times created you out of His deep, deep love for you. He’s not impressed that you keep going when He knows you need to pause. And He is capable and strong enough and smart enough to see you through your overwhelm.
Pausing provides you with the opportunity to rest. Listen. Consider.
Talk to God about the overwhelm and listen to what He has to say about it.
So …
Take a deep breath.
Take another one.
Close your eyes.
Whisper, Thank you, God, for being with me in this moment.
Whisper, Thank you, God, for giving me what I need in this moment.
Whisper, Thank you, God, for showing me how to move forward from this moment.
Rest.
Pause.
Listen.
God will meet you right where you are.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
With my whole heart, I will praise his holy name.
Let all that I am praise the Lord;
May I never forget the good things he does for me.
He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle’s!
Psalm 103 verses 1,2, and 5
