Sunday Devotion

Welcome to the Sunday Devotion. As I look back at the week, I could be consumed and overwhelmed with the work that still had to be accomplished. But instead of focusing on that, I remember a meme I saw that really spoke to me.  “Sometimes it’s okay to take a pause...” In this meme there was also a cute picture of a baby sloth and in full disclosure, it said, “Sometimes it’s okay to take a pause and enjoy a photogenic baby sloth.”  The sloth was adorable, but it was the first words “…take a pause” that spoke to me.

Those words came back to me again and again this week. And it was in those moments that the burdens lifted and I felt the tenseness in my neck seep away.  

Maybe the baby sloth influenced this initial feeling, but my active mind reset and I felt the comfort of the divine. In Psalm 61:4 it says, “Let me dwell in Your tent forever; Let me take refuge in the shelter of Your wings.” Pause, take a breath and feel the presence of God. “Sometimes it’s okay to take a pause...”
It’s a challenge, isn’t it? But I found that even in a small moment where I paused, there was a great sense of emptying myself of the hurried overflow of thoughts and worries. Sometimes we associate feeling empty with depression and loss, but this pause clears the clutter.

We need to slow down and breath, taking in the presence of the Spirit so we feel the love and peace of the divine. And all this can happen in just a paused moment. Can you imagine if we allow moments to grow either in time or frequency?

I said the baby sloth was not a meaningful part of my moment, but maybe it was. It caught my attention and helped me reset my thoughts, even for a second. It allowed me to hear “take a pause” and there I found the blissful and serene presence of God.

Welcome the blessings of the Spirit. Stop and take a pause to reset, refuel and renew even in the most unintentional moments and recognize that God is in those moments waiting to offer peace and love.

May your week be filled with pauses where the busyness of life suddenly drains from your thoughts and is replaced with the wonder of God.

(Author: Bonnie Barber)