Closeout yesterday. Start out fresh today. Forget the past. Live in the moment. Aim for the future!
If you are never learning then you are stagnating. Just as a pond needs constant refreshing to keep the scum at bay, so do you, and I, need something new every day to keep us refreshed. Similarly, we need fresh faith, mercy, grace, peace, and hope! Keep it rolling! Every day! I asked God for a new morning thought. Fresh thinking with old words. Sometimes it happens on the fly and other times from simply doing some reading or thinking out loud. Regardless, I’ve always felt like each day needs some fresh thinking and then practicing with what I’m learning.This I recall to my mind, therefore have I hope. It is of the LORD’S mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:21-23 KJV)
Part of my morning routine is to search for some new thought that reinforces old truths, or simply points me into new directions of research! I love these quiet times! Recently, I read a message from a stranger and it gave me pause. Why?? Because it was something new I had never thought about, yet I would certainly hope it was within my toolbox of practices! With a little research, I realized there are many versions of the statement, but they all focused on the same action.Pause
What does it mean to “pause”? Well, it is a common action we all take to catch our breath or slow down in your hurry-scurry day. Perhaps, even, to wait for someone to catch up. But the Pause I’m talking about is not the waiting that may include a momentary refreshing of body and soul, rather, it’s that Pause you take before you respond with the reaction that suits your personality. What phrase caught my attention?“Practice the pause. When in doubt, pause. Angry? Pause. When tired, pause. Stressed? Pause. And when you pause, pray.”
Who wrote it?
Someone I do not know and am not sure it was even their original thought. But the wisdom of the thought is a practical application of your reaction to the moment of doubt, anger, exhaustion, or stress. It could be applied to any situation that does not require immediate action and reaction to keep you out of danger. I mean, if a bull is charging straight at you, pausing is not the answer! Where’s the fence? Tree? How quickly must I run to beat him to safety? Can I win? No… The best solution? Run! We can easily understand the Pause. It gives you time to reflect and strategize your response. It also gives you time to ask God to give you understanding and a response that meets His criteria!Here’s My Thought Today
This made me think of Jesus with the woman caught in adultery. You can find the story in John, chapter 8. Essentially, the local leaders (Scribes and Pharisees) found a woman caught in the very act and she was brought to Jesus to test his reaction, understanding, and application of the law. John has the only record of this, but the law was clear. It is one of the Ten Commandments (Exodus 20:14), and in the explanation and practice of the law, Moses does say that both parties will be put to death (Leviticus 20:10). But the commandment before this was simply, “Thou shalt not kill (murder).”It would seem Jesus is caught in the middle of two commandments and everyone is asking, “Jesus. How will you respond?”
A person who pauses may think this through to a better conclusion than simply reacting to the situation! In other words, let’s “not rush to judgment” and punish the perpetrator without thinking it through. Someone else will say, “What is there to pause and reflect about? Guilty!”Here’s my thinking through to a better ending.
- We don’t have the whole story, only this little slice of evidence.
- Shouldn’t we have a trial and investigate?
- Where is the other party? He’s just as guilty, right?!
- Was she a victim or a willing participant? Was she the enticer? What was her role?
- What’s the whole truth, and nothing but the truth?
How did Jesus respond?
He paused, did not overreact, or create an image of anything other than studious nonchalance.
He stooped down and wrote on the ground with his finger. The KJV says he did this in a manner as if he did not even hear them! Since this is the only time we have a record of the Lord’s writing, it could be he wrote out their own sins or listed the Ten Commandments from which this action was called from. Maybe he simply wrote their names. Who knows? But one of the things I will note, he was in sight of the Temple in Jerusalem and it is here where the Tablets of Stones that contain the Ten Commandments were stored. Could he have simply been reflecting on the law and writing out the words he knew by heart? They continued pestering him for an answer. I imagine they were raising their voices. Yammering their questions. Searching for a response. Getting angrier every moment he remained silent.The Purpose of the Pause
Sometimes the best response to any accusation is simply silence. Jesus did this when he was being persecuted by the Roman soldiers, and questioned by those who had his life in their hands. Silence. A powerful pause! In fact, this silence is an appropriate response because it was a point of prophecy!He was oppressed and He was afflicted, Yet He opened not His mouth; He was led as a lamb to the slaughter, And as a sheep before its shearers is silent, So He opened not His mouth. (Isaiah 53:7 NKJV)
Finally
…He raised Himself up and simply said to them, “He who is without sin among you, let him throw a stone at her first.” (John 8:7, NKJV)
Many commentators have analyzed his words and a common understanding could interpret the scripture like this: “He among you who is without this same sin…you have the right to cast the first stone.” This puts the burden back on them! They were the ones that found her and had the power to control the situation. Except, they were trying to get him to be the one they could accuse by his response to their findings! I love this quote by Einstein:I realize there is wisdom to silence.
As the wise man of old writes in his chapter dealing about time.…A time to keep silence, And a time to speak; (Ecclesiastes 3:7 NKJV)
Imagine a person living in perpetual silence. Incapable of hearing, seeing, or with limited ability to speak.Everything has its wonders, even darkness, and silence, and I learn whatever state I am in, therein to be content. ~Helen Keller
So. I learn and relearn, the importance of a Pause. A pastor from my past said it like this, “Let’s let it perc for a while…” Silence. A powerful pause! And, from Einstein: There is wisdom to Silence... Click To Tweet