“Sometimes the most urgent thing you can possibly do is take a complete rest.” ~ Ashleigh Brillian. This month, I decided to ‘get off the hamster wheel’ and take a break from some of my regularly scheduled obligations so that I could pray, rest and regain some strength. Don’t you sometimes just get weary of the race sometimes? You get so busy that you don’t stop to get a little perspective on things.
I bet that it’s been nearly two years since I have given myself permission to take that kind of break. Pausing like that is like taking a broom to the attic of your brain and sweeping out all of the cobwebs. You begin to notice things that were there all along, but you were too busy to see them.
What can happen when you take a pause? Here are some possible side effects of your pause:
- Clarity of purpose for the direction that you are going.
- Something new: A new service or a new population to serve that you hadn’t thought of before.
- An opportunity for your head and your heart to get back into sync.
- Renewed strength for the journey.
- A greater appreciation and gratitude for your blessings.
Whether you find renewed strength, or a new road, taking the time to pause is like filling your gas tank when you are running on fumes.
It’s not easy to jump off a treadmill that is on top speed, but no one can run at that pace forever. Think about it, if you really were running a treadmill at top speed, you would have a heart attack if you didn’t jump off.
I’m not talking about taking a vacation where you bring your laptop and work half the time either. I’m talking about really stopping the work, stepping away completely and getting time to rest, relax and renew. Empty your head of your daily obligations. Spend your time praying, meditating, and getting a massage, napping, journaling. Get in touch with the feelings of gratitude for your family, your health, your God, your gifts and nature.
I thought that I would get a renewed strength for the journey, and I did, but I also found a new road for the journey. In the midst of the pause something totally new began to happen. A new idea had a chance to form in my head and heart. I thought I would be doing one thing, and wound up finding energy in something totally different. (Stay tuned, as I put some flesh on the bone of that idea, I’ll be sharing it with you when it’s ready to share.)
Taking a pause is a choice. Choose to pause and see what can happen for you.
