Selah. Pause.

My mother is very good at daily rhythm. Growing up we always had a mid-morning and a mid-afternoon pause, as well as pauses as we ate breakfast, lunch and evening meal. As children we learnt that these were moments to rest, relax, spend time together as a family, and to stop what we were doing. Even now when I visit my mother or she visits me, she still stops mid-morning and mid-afternoon for a cup of tea and a snack. Not being a tea drinker myself, I have never got into the habit.

Recently, as life gets so busy, God has been talking to me about putting rest into my day and not just running from start to finish.

There is something restorative about a moment of quiet. Many of us feel uncomfortable with silences – we try to fill them, we feel them unproductive, perhaps even a waste of time.

But there is something incredibly beautiful that happens when we embrace the natural pauses that there are in a day.

They don’t just have to be about food. It could be a quick walk to the local shop, an early morning sleepy hug in bed before rushing to get in the shower, even a silence that falls when a friend shares her heart with you and you don’t know what to say.

We need moments of rest in our day, not just to catch our breath, but to breathe deeply and connect once again with our creator.

When you read the psalms, you will often see the word ‘selah’ or pause. Far from being awkward silences, these were moments to reflect on the words that had been said. They are moments to connect with the God who brings the words alive. They are moments to receive restoration in our busy lives.

Selah. Pause. Breathe deeply. Connect.

Psalm 46:10: Be still and know that I am God.

Where are you going to fit in a pause today?