Pause

KAYLA WRIGHT
Licensed Christian Counselor
Specialist in Child & Adolescent Therapy
Life Training Christian Counseling

We live in a society where busyness is encouraged and leaving space in our schedule is frowned upon. When I hear verses like Psalm 46:10 and Exodus 14:14, rather than accept the peace these verses can give, I’m filled with restlessness at the idea of releasing control. Choosing to pause is choosing to value time with God over all other things demanding our attention.

When I pause, I create space for the Holy Spirit to speak to me and do His healing work in my heart.

In 1 Kings chapter 19, we read of Elijah’s encounter with God. Elijah is fleeing Jezreel from the persecution of prophets. After wandering for 40 days and nights, he stopped at a mountain called Horeb. The Lord tells him to “go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by” (1 Kings 19:11 NIV). A great wind tears through the mountain, followed by an earthquake and a fire, but the Lord is not in those things. Yet, following the fire “came a gentle whisper” (19:12). The Lord’s presence was not in the grand events of nature. In the stillness Elijah heard Him speak. One of my favorite parts of youth camp included the designated time we spent every morning alone reading a devotion. We’d sit outside in the damp grass while the sun rose and the birds chirped, and we’d reflect on God’s Word and pray. Camp is special for more reasons than I could ever describe here, but beginning each day creating space for the Lord would prepare me to meet Him in every moment throughout the rest of the day.

Jesus also valued time to pause. When He learned John the Baptist had been killed, Jesus withdrew to a boat alone. However, this alone time was short lived, as crowds met Him when He reached the other side (Matthew 14:12-14). In the following verses we see Jesus perform the miracle of feeding five thousand with five loaves of bread and two fish (Matthew 14:15-21). When the crowd is dismissed, Jesus sends His disciples ahead of Him and withdraws again to a mountainside “by himself to pray” (Matthew 14:23). There are a couple of things I notice from this passage.

Jesus takes time to pause as he mourns

There is a tendency in humans to try to swallow our grief in an effort to continue moving forward. While Jesus doesn’t ignore the needs of others around Him, He first pauses to assess His own. Friends, grief cannot be overlooked for long. Grief is not just a result of death, but we can also grieve unmet expectations or loss of relationships. Whatever the source of your grief, it is not going to disappear on its own. Ecclesiastes 3:4 NIV says there is “a time to weep and a time to laugh, a time to mourn and a time to dance.” We must take the time to pause and bring our grief to the Lord, either alone or with the support of a counselor who can walk alongside us. As we create this space to mourn, the Lord will create space in our hearts for joy.

Jesus and His disciples create space TOGETHER

Often, creating space is made difficult through unspoken expectations and unexpressed needs. Jesus communicated His need for space by sending His disciples ahead of Him in the boat, and His disciples respected Jesus and did what He asked. This required trust from both parties. Jesus had to trust His disciples to accept His wishes, and His disciples had to trust Jesus to rejoin them when He was ready. When you are beginning to create space in your life, whether to process emotions or to spend daily time with God, it is important to communicate your intentions with those close to you. Create an atmosphere in your relationships where respect is mutual and space is honored. This allows for plans to be rescheduled and “do not disturb” to be turned on without fear of hurt feelings. Encourage each other to be honest when space is needed, and pray for your friends to seek moments with God in their lives.Our time with God is a gift to be cherished.

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Kayla Wright joined the counseling team at Life Training Christian Counseling in May of this year. The passion of her counseling work is to make a meaningful difference in the lives of teens and pre-teens.

Kayla is nationally licensed as a Christian Counselor by the National Christian Counselors Association, with an advanced board certification in Child & Adolescent Therapy. Kayla gained extensive experience and credibility in providing counseling to teens and pre-teens during her tenure on the staff of Revive Christian Counseling in Owensboro and Madisonville, Kentucky.

Kayla Wright, as well as each of our other counselors, offers convenient sessions at our office in Louisville, Kentucky, as well as online counseling via Zoom or FaceTime. Please click on this link to learn much more about how our COUNSELING FOR TEENS & PRE-TEENS in Louisville, Kentucky can help the child you love find the highly-effective, Christ-centered help they need. Contact us today at 502-717-5433, or by email at kayla@lifetrainingcounseling.org