Pause and Reflect

At evening's end
when the moon's soft light

floats in the inked sky, 
pause and reflect.

In the presence of stillness,
listen to the night wind
soulfully close the day.
Trust in the power of faith.
Find your center.

In the spaces of life,

between happenings

and responses,

lean in. Be present.

Listen for the call

to respond positively 
to life. Believe. 

Wait on the Lord.

Pause and reflect
in the here and now.
©Carol Varsalona, 2016

  

While reading Greg Smith's blog, Selah-Pause and Reflect, this morning, I started thinking about my own personal reactions to life's uncertainties. When faced with an unexpected difficult situation, a sense of fear initially enters and the fixer mode goes into effect. Why is this? As Greg Smith says, when fear enters we react to difficult situations rather than thoughtfully responding. "But when we take time to engage in Selah, then we remember that in the center of it all, God is our refuge and strength." When this happens faith overrides fear.

At Spiritual Journey Thursday, Holly Mueller asks the blogging community to focus on Michelle Haseltine's one word, Selah. I never heard the word before Michelle introduced it, so I am grateful that she provided a definition. In her New Year's post, Michelle describes selah as "the space between what happens to us and how we respond to what happens to us". This definition is one of those stop and pause statements that requires action. What does this mean for me in the face of trials? 

• Shall I rest in moments more before moving into a fixer mode? 
• Shall I listen for a voice inside to respond before acting?
• Shall I believe that I cannot do it all on my own?

It is an unequivocal yes to all of the self-inquiry questions above but the Selah space is not one that is easy to enter in times of distress. Faith is needed as a foundation. Without it, life can be an isolated journey. Even with it, you can walk alone on the edge of darkness at times. Pausing and reflecting is essential. The mantra, pause and reflect, opens doors to slowing down life, to hearing the voice that guides, and to "be still and know that there is a place for us to rest" in the majesty of life. 

Final thoughts to ponder:

1. We are not alone. 
2. We do not have all the answers.
3. Resting in stillness allows us to linger in the moment.

Please visit Spiritual Journey Thursday at Holly Mueller's site to read how the community of bloggers interpret Michelle Haseltine's one little word, Selah.