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Music soothes the soul but we often use music as background noise rather than a soothing sound. Today take a moment to listen. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ihJAJA4ibEs Take a moment to pause and reflect on the familiar words of a reading, a song, or a prayer.
The Lord’s Prayer - Violin and Piano - YouTube Giving as worship
Pleas for money can sometimes be overwhelming. It is difficult to know which places are legitimate and which are not. It is difficult to know which places will spend our money wisely and which will not. It is difficult to know which will appreciate our gifts of time or money. It can even be difficult to understand why giving is a necessary part of worship. Is the church interested in us or our money? Giving is a valuable part of our spiritual life because it requires faith to give. It requires us trusting God with the things we have been given. It requires our remembering that all things belong to God. We have not earned the things we have, we have been blessed by God with the things we have. Giving them back to God is a sacred act. We must pause from our regular wants to remember God's desire for us. God wants us to be free from earthly possessions and focus on building our treasures in our permanent home. Pause - where is your permanent home? Pausing to Evaluate our relationships.
Relationships are important to our well-being. We were not created to be alone so we must learn to live with others in healthy ways. We all require relationships to live a balanced life. But, relationships require work - healthy relationships don't come naturally. We need time to reflect on the things we need to do - to change in our own lives in order to be a blessing to others. We need time to reflect on the things others are doing to us - that we might need to walk away from in order to learn to value the blessings others share with us. Having a healthy relationship with God is the beginning of having healthy relationships with others. Pause - God how is it with our relationship? Spirituality includes solitude.
We are not designed to be alone - loneliness can be destructive. But aloneness can be instructive. Moments of solitude are required to search our soul. We can't give of ourselves to others unless we are whole. Wholeness requires regular spiritual appointments with God. We must set aside time to be alone with God and allow God to cleanse us, heal us, grow us into fruitful parts of creation. Spirituality includes movement.
Going - doing - stepping. Can pausing include moving? Creation is always moving - weather changes - winds blow - rocks shift - animals migrate. We can pause from our regular routine and be a part of the movement, as we reflect, recite and receive. What does God expect when we pray?
God expects genuine interaction. A conversation with the person we trust most. One with which we can share our deepest darkest secrets. We don't have to pretend with God. We don't have to put on our best. We have to be our best self. Pause - honestly speak to the most trustworthy entity in the universe. Pause - trustingly listen. Engaging Scripture as we pause.
Why do we find it so hard to read and study scripture? It isn't that scripture is boring, actually scripture is alive. Jesus said I am the Word and Jesus is alive - living at the right hand of the father. It may be that our minds are over stimulated and unable to focus. Pause - rediscover the power behind the Word. Look for a specific topic. Read a short section. Read an entire story. This is God's story. If we want to know God we need to know the story. It starts with a pause. Have you been in a place that is totally quiet? How difficult is it to remain quiet? Do you grab you phone, turn on music, being to sing/hum a song, talk to yourself? Or do you just enjoy the natural sounds around you?
Pause right now. Close your eyes. Listen. Listen for God. "My soul, wait in stillness, only for God..." Psalm 62 Journaling is a way to slow down. It helps us reflect on the good and bad of each day. But, we are also able to see glimpses of God in the midst of all. In journaling you can write about an experience - write a reflection on scripture. You can write a page or a sentence. It's not about what you write its about the pause to reflect on God.
In Scripture, retreat is a time of soul-searching. Time not limited to remote areas, but whenever, wherever he opportunity presents itself. God is everywhere. God is a place of retreat. Retreat is a time when we stop what we are doing and focus on God. A helpful reminder of our need to stop, focus, and retreat is an icon. Something, anything that reminds us of God, of the Spirit, of pausing. Place it in a prominent place in your daily work space. Every time you see the icon pause and focus on God for a moment.
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