“Pause”

Have you ever thought about the word “pause”? I hadn’t. I know what it means, but to say that I’ve ever really mulled over what the word truly means, no I hadn’t. That is until I ordered a prophetic key during a friend’s fundraiser. (If you don’t know what a prophetic key is, in short, it is a key that has a word etched into it. What makes it prophetic is the fact that the people who  make/etch the keys pray for a word specifically for you in this season and they etch it and mail it to you.) So when I got my key I was excited and anxious, because I‘ve had friends get wrecked (in the best way possible) by the Holy Spirit with these words. When I opened it, at first glance I thought it said “peace”. I thought to myself “ok God let’s go!” I’m an enneagram 9 so peace is my nitch, but then at a closer look, I read the actual word “pause” and I thought, “What is that supposed to mean God?”

“How dare He give me a key that I don’t understand right away. How dare He make me work for understanding.” That was my pride and ego talking. I’ve had friends who have gotten keys and hated them or didn’t want to choose to accept them. But, when they did the Lord showed them so much beauty and blessings with just one word. I always said, “If I got a key, I would be grateful and love it.” The Lord humbled me real quick. So for a long time, I just wore my key and didn’t think about it, just hoping the Lord would show me a magic billboard or commercial that would lead to some great revelation. 

Finally one day I decided to look up exactly what the word “pause” means in the dictionary. It might not give me all the answers, but it was at least a start. The definition of “pause” (verb) is to interrupt action or speech briefly, (noun) a temporary stop in action or speech. That got me thinking about a pause button. When you press a pause button you intend on hitting it again to play. Oftentimes the two separate actions are controlled by the same switch, with the same effort you press pause you get to press play. They need each other, they give each other purpose and the bottom line is our ability to pause is actually revolutionary. 

I was watching tv with my mom the other night and I said “we are living in the future, we can pause live television.”  If you’re lucky, you have the privilege to remember before this was possible. As a kid my mom would ask me to do something while I was watching tv and my response was normally “can I wait until a commercial?” Now we have the luxury to pause it right then and come back to exactly where we left off. Now that we have the option to pause, why do we pause? There are countless reasons to get a snack, use the bathroom, switch the loads, just so we can fast forward, etc the list goes on and on. No matter what we pause for the time between pause – play gives us all the time we need to prepare for when you are ready to start again. 

Through all these revelations and study, the Lord showed me a couple pretty cool things. First, a pause is active, which means that during this time I’m not stagnant. I’m not just sitting around waiting on God to point me in a direction with a neon sign. I am still serving and loving my neighbor. I’m still actively seeking what God has for me, it just may not be time yet.  Second, a pause is purposeful. In other words it’s happening on purpose for a specific reason. Sometimes the Lord tries to teach me things and I am stubborn. I don’t always learn the first go around, so the Lord says it’s ok I’ll give you as much time as you need, because this is necessary for the next step in your journey, so lets make sure you get it. Third, a pause is temporary, it’s not meant to last forever. There is always a “play” after the “pause”, don’t get hung up on the pause. This too shall pass. 

I don’t have the answers to when, why or how this season of “pause” will end, but for now I’m going to find joy in it. I’m going to soak up everything the Lord has for me because it is good. It might not always be fun, but it is always worth it. I know I will come out of this season stronger, because I am being refined. I am choosing to accept my pause. 

My prayer for you is if you are going through a season of “pause” or even just change, surrender to the one who holds the world in orbit, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords. He is with us in every season right by our side the whole way. He knows the outcome and every step along the way. When the burden gets too heavy, give it to Him. It was never ours to carry anyway. Have a blessed day.

-Elizabeth:)