Permission to Pause

The day I had scheduled in for today did not eventuate.

I was planning to get a lot of my book work and filming completed because looking at the calendar there were a few weeks where I had no ability to film my weekly videos or complete my weekly podcasts.

The night before as I was preparing dinner, I felt a bit achy – not unusual for me – so I just ignored the sensations.

As the night progressed, I felt like my throat was sore and every time I swallowed it was red raw. So, I made up my Mum’s recipe of a hot lemon drink with honey hoping it would nip everything in the bud.

To no avail. As I tossed and turned all night my symptoms seemed to be getting worse.

Oh, I was so frustrated. I was mentally reworking my schedule in the next few days to see when I could now do the filming etc because it definitely was not going to happen tomorrow.

I felt bad ringing in sick the next morning, but I was not fit to do any work.

Oh God I prayed, why today of all days? It’s disrupting my timetable.

I felt like God replied to me……

“Here’s your permission to pause. To have a day that doesn’t look impressive on paper. To spend time watching the sky shift, listening to music, lying on the couch, catching up on sleep, recuperating, maybe doing nothing….”

Productivity, working hard, might get you ahead, but rest keeps you whole.

Let go of the pressure to be “on” all the time. You’re allowed to have quiet days.

Messy days. Days where you do less and somehow gain more in your spirit.

Today is one of those days.

Maybe your brain is not working today, let your Spirit rest in me.

Don’t fight it. Go with my flow.

I will restore you, refresh you.

Your day off has been physically forced upon you. Allow your Spirit to sit and receive. Abide in me as scripture states.

Abide in me as I abide in you. Just as the branch cannot bear fruit by itself unless it abides in the vine, neither can you unless you abide in me. I am the vine, you are the branches. Those who abide in me and I in them bear much fruit, because apart from me you can do nothing. 

John 15:4-5 NRSV

This day of abiding in me will bring much fruit. Your filming, productions, workload will run smoother and be of greater benefit into the future.

When have you been forced to have a day off, a week, longer even and God knew what He was doing? When were you forced to abide in Him? No agenda but Him loving you and you loving Him?

May these jottings from my journal inspire you to believe in and fall in love with Christ- the hope of the world, as stated in Jeremiah 17:7, ‘Blessed is the man who believes and trusts in and relies on the Lord and whose hope and confident expectation is the Lord!’

Love

Rosemary

Every week groups of ladies meet together to chat about the things I raise in my weekly blog post and to chat about life in general. We call these ‘Heart Connect’ groups.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

When was the last time you gave yourself permission to pause? Or were you forced to pause?

Can you think of a time that God worked in you while you paused? What did God say to you? What did God do in you?

How can you abide in God more?