STOP….LISTEN….REPEAT

What happens when you stop moving?

What happens to your body & mind?
Is there mental & physical disruptions that you are unsure of how to process?  
Do you get frustrated, anxious or annoyed easily?  
Does your mind wander to everything you feel you should be doing?
Do you become agitated at those closest to you and you really do not know why?
Is it hard for you to sit or lie down and be at peace?

I often find that in my life I live at a pace that can consume me if I am not careful.  It can consume my mental, physical & spiritual energies I have to give.  I can become blinded by my own drive to achieve something that I forget that my identity isn't what I do but is already in WHO I AM.

If we observe our world we have forgotten what it means to pause and relax.  In fact even the concept of "down time" for many people, marriages, parents, kids, families, employers, employees is viewed as a weakness.  People only take a break when the world they live in has fallen apart and those closest to them gossip about how they "can't handle the pressure anymore".

I've learned to love Stopping….Listening….and Repeating this pattern.  

I've learned to stop and listen to my wife to hear about her day.  I've learned to stop and listen to the laughter & crazy stories of my sons when they want to talk.  I've learned to stop & listen to the sounds of birds, waves & even footsteps of those around me.  I've found the musical tones in the cadence of our days that help refresh me.  

I enjoy watching the world cry for help and hearing the sound of Jesus speak mercy & grace.  I've learned to listen for God's nudge to act or speak up even when it may be inconvenient for me.  I've learned that silence isn't really silence, but it is peace speaking to my inner being.

I've learned that a day off really should be a day off.  
Vacations are mandatory and not optional. Rest is important. 
Employers who demand a chaotic rhythm for "success" are really out of rhythm themselves.  
Employees who pride themselves on "business" are really vulnerable and insecure.  
Marriages that pursue selfishness don't care about pausing to serve one another.  
Parenting that is manipulative and dictating will never hear the truth of whom their children are.  Families that portray an image that they really only want the outside world to see is often a lie and cries for help.

Sit down and read Matthew 6:25-34.  Observe the text.  Ask yourself if the statements are true of your life right now?  

What happens when you stop moving?

What happens to your body & mind?
Is there mental & physical disruptions that you are unsure of how to process?  
Do you get frustrated, anxious or annoyed easily?  
Does your mind wander to everything you feel you should be doing?
Do you become agitated at those closest to you and you really do not know why?
Is it hard for you to sit or lie down and be at peace?

Years ago I read a book about solitude & sabbath.  The book was Abraham Heschels THE SABBATH.  It is worth the read but more importantly, it is worth the implications for our lives.