Taking A Pause, Part 1 of 4

I was recently asked if I had any New Year’s resolutions for 2022. My response was that I really do not make resolutions. I just take life day-to-day. The response may seem to be a bit of a cliché. However, I have learned that making resolutions without having the true commitment is a waisted exercise. (See Maintaining Wellness, Part 1). There actually may be something better than making New Year’s resolutions, in the first place. How about taking a pause? In the Book of Psalms of the Bible, there are several times where the writer inserts a simple word: Selah. That word in the original Hebrew means a suspension or pause. If you think of the Psalms as a compilation of inspired “songs”, the idea of suspension or taking a pause makes sense. In modern compositions, the composer uses the “rest” in a similar fashion. It’s a pause that is very much a part of the music. However, it provides an opportunity not only to rest but also to be a place of transition, if necessary. A great composer thinks of the rest as much as they think of the notes themselves.

Just as in music, life itself needs suspension or pause or rest at appropriate times. The most prolific of the “conductors” of the Psalms was King David. I imagine that when he used the term selah, he was meaning for the reader (singer) to not just stop but to more importantly reflect on what he had just said (see Psalm 24 as an example). Before moving forward in the Psalm, the writer wanted a point of emphasis to be reflected upon in order to accentuate the rest of the thought. In life it is necessary, to stop and take such a pause before moving forward into another “chapter.” The New Year is as good a time as any to take such a pause. Instead of a resolution, a pause to reflect, reassess, repent (this will need further explanation) and revive seems to be a much more useful exercise in our continued quest for wellness.

Reflect

When pausing, it is fine to look back. Not from the aspect of longing for the past, like Lot’s wife or those that Jesus spoke to when he said, “No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God.” In other words, He was speaking of someone trying to establish a forward work while still looking back at the past with a real desire to stay there. The type of reflection that is healthy is when we look back on the past with a motivation to learn. There are things in the past that are actually pleasant. The term that is used for that type of looking back is nostalgia. Nostalgia, when put into proper perspective, can be a source of great hope and inspiration. Oftentimes, biographies are a “nostalgic” look and study on the past of one’s life that can be inspirational. Thinking about a childhood home and the family that is associated with that place can also be a very pleasant experience. Nostalgia, however, can also become a hinderance when, again, we long for that past “pleasantness” more than wanting to learn from it and move forward. I think of those who really have an affinity for war reenactments. There is a sentimental value in those exercises. But they are very shallow, at best (I am not against those activities). The reenactments, such as the Civil War, only tend to glorify something that is actually quite horrific. It can never give a true “reflection” of the events that took place on the battlefield no matter how great the “acting” is in the given scenario. Nostaligia at best romanticizes the harsh realities of the actual occurrences.

On the other hand, there are occurrences when looking back that are far from nostalgic; past failures, losses, heartbreaks, etc. These occurrences often are, if our hearts are right and willing, where the real learning takes place. When we reflect on these things not with a willingness to go back to them but with an eagerness to learn from them, real growth, real maturity and real character is built. Paul stated it this way speaking of “every high priest”,

Who can have compassion on the ignorant, and on them that are out of the way; for that he himself also is compassed with infirmity.

Hebrews 5: 2

In modern terms, a minister or Pastor that cannot learn from the infirmities (failures, losses, heartbreaks, illnesses, etc.) in his own life cannot help those that he is trying to minister to and lead in the Way. A point of pause or reflection is vital not only for our own well-being but also for the well-being of others that we may be trying to help. It is okay reflect on past “infirmities” and learn from them in order to move to the next stage of pausing. It is also okay to reflect on past victories to help us when facing current situations. In speaking to King Saul, David said the following:

… Let no man’s heart fail because of him; thy servant will go and fight with this Philistine…

And David said unto Saul, Thy servant kept his father’s sheep, and there came a lion, and a bear, and took a lamb out of the flock:

And I went after him, and smote him, and delivered it out of his mouth: and when he arose against me, I caught him by his beard, and smote him, and slew him.

Thy servant slew both the lion and the bear: and this uncircumcised Philistine shall be as one of them, seeing he hath defied the armies of the living God.

1 Samuel 17: 32; 34-36

The key to David’s present victory was not only in his reflection on his past victory. But more importantly, his reflection on the God that helped him to gain not only the past victory but would also be with him in the present to defeat this mighty foe.

Let us pause when facing life’s present challenges. Can we look on a past failure and gain strength from God’s delivering hand that reached beyond our weakness? Can we look at a past victory and look at that same Mighty Hand and how it kept us from the failure and impending loss? Either way, the common denominator is a reflection on God through our relationship with Jesus Christ who is the same yesterday, today and forever. Selah!

Photo by Thomas Grams on Unsplash