Pause

"When the cloud remained...the Israelites...did not set out." -Numbers 9:19

"I waited patiently for the Lord; he turned to me and heard my cry." -Psalm 40:1

Last week, our boys were sick. First one and inevitably the other followed. Fevers, throwing up, the whole bit. We were sick and not going anywhere for awhile. We were forced to stay home and simply had to hunker down through this bug.

For a mom of two boys living in Florida, staying inside is kind of a foreign thing. It feels strange not to get outside and play and let them burn off some steam. But my oldest, especially, was certain that laying down and watching cartoons all day was going to be the best medicine for him. And based on his fever, I would say he was right. So, I let him.

My sister, Katie, was going through the same thing up in Michigan, so we had some time to talk and compare. And through our conversation realized we were both learning the same lesson that week. God was putting our lives on pause and we were forced to slow down and take in an unusual stillness that is so often missing in a house with little kids.

So often, as moms, we feel like we have to be productive--run here, run there, buy milk, throw a load in, make a meal, buy another gallon, play a game, sign him up for this, volunteer for that...that these little moments where God pauses us turn into a time of reflection and stillness that we otherwise wouldn't get. What might start out feeling like an inconvenience, may actually end up being a time of growth.

I was so reminded of this fact when I was pregnant with my second child. In month 7, something shifted in my lower back and my psyiatic nerve was being pinched. I tried everything to change it back to normal, but nothing worked. I even got a prenatal massage, but in the end limped around with my 19 month old wanting and needing things that I couldn't get for him. I was on pause. Thankfully, something naturally shifted after about four weeks and I could focus on more important things. But something happened during that time of feeling less able. I sat in our car one day as my husband took Cooper into Home Depot (because I didn't feel like limping along) and an older couple started coming out into the parking lot. I noticed them because the husband was leaning on his cart and limping from pain in his leg. I could tell, because my body was in the same condition. In an instant, my heart went out to the man and I felt a little ashamed at my self pity knowing my pain would probably go away once I had the baby. I worked in a nursing home during college, so I had been around plenty of elderly who experienced pain. But it was during my time of being put on "pause" and watching that man in the parking lot that I really understood the feelings of getting older and how hard that must be. And I was sad for him. God had taught me something in that moment. To empathize with the hurt. To not take things for granted. And to always be thankful. This time of being put on pause was not wasted. The Lord used it and taught my heart a valuable lesson through my own experience.

They always say kids need "hands on" experience (real life experience) to learn in the best way. Why wouldn't God use that in His classroom, too? If you experience something yourself, you are better equipped to serve those who have also gone through something similar.

Have you experienced a pause lately? Do you feel like you're being held back and you don't understand why? I know it's so hard to sit and wait and wonder, but I would encourage you to use this time (like I have to encourage myself) wisely. Look for the lesson that God may be teaching you in all of this. Try to look past (so hard) your own experience to the life of someone else who may be going through the same thing. And rest in Him knowing that none of this will be a waste if we can hold on and use our struggle to encourage others in the future.

Oh, so good from Streams...

"Yet having to wait was another story altogether. 'When the cloud remained,' however uninviting and sweltering the location,...however boring and wearisome to those who were impatient...there was no option but to remain encamped."

"When God sends no answer and "the cloud remains," we must wait. Yet we can do so with the full assurance of God's provision of manna, water from the rock, shelter, and protection from our enemies. He never keeps us at our post without assuring us of His presence or sending us daily supplies." (Wow. Wow!)

"Young person, wait--do not be in such a hurry to make a change! Minister, stay at your post. You must wait where you are until the cloud clearly begins to move. Wait fo the Lord to give you His good pleasure! He will not be late!" (Daily Devotional Commentary)

What are you learning today that will create in you a pure heart? Is God trying to teach you something through an experience that is causing you to pause?

Dear Heavenly Father,
I pray that our hearts would be open in our times of waiting. Help us to understand the things that you are trying to teach us in those moments of life. And to go on and use those valuable lessons to bless those who need it in your perfect timing.
In Jesus' Name,
Amen.