The Pause

Years ago, I found myself in a conundrum of my own making. Energized by self-righteousness, I added fuel to an already strained situation.  Thankfully, a kind co-worker stepped in with wise guidance. “This,” she advised, “is cause for a pause.”

For months, if not years, our nation has experienced a tumultuous political and social divide. We have all likely felt the effects of the loud, messy, and confusing influx of information. With so much to take in, comprehend, and examine, some of us have destructively leaned toward outrage. Others have withdrawn completely, sheltering from the chaos. There is, however, a third way. A wiser way. A more effective way. The pause.

The pause is that space between reckless action and passive avoidance. It is a place of waiting. Waiting until we gather the necessary facts, until we check our biases, until we consider our motivation.

We are living at a time when we can easily disperse our views with a single click. Little effort is needed to launch our every thought into the world, and we often insert our opinions into circumstances we do not fully understand. This is an especially good time to consider the pause. Before we hit send or post. Before we speak or write words that cannot be retrieved. Before we voice our beliefs about people we have never met and situations we have never experienced.

We miss crucial nuances and critical details when we’re spinning and running. Sprinting from crisis to crisis makes us unproductive and ineffective.

The pause doesn’t mean we’re lazy, weak, uncaring, or disengaged.  To the contrary, slowing our pace and turning down the volume allows us to discern God’s direction. It offers us the chance to change the channel in our brains. From criticism to curiosity. From hostility to dialogue. From a closed to an open mind. The pause gives us space to prioritize and plan, to reflect and rejuvenate.

The pause might be brief. Just long enough to calm our nervous systems and adjust course. Other times, we may need to settle into this waiting place where we can breathe and grow and prepare.

My co-worker’s words were exactly what I needed. I was able to use the pause as an intentional reset. An opportunity to reestablish equilibrium. So often, I’ve found the most powerful thing we can do is stand still.