“Mom, the doctor said it is stage 4, ovarian cancer. “ I will never forget the day I sat at the foot of my Mom’s hospital bed telling her those words. It was just the two of us that morning, and little did I know those moments would impact my life eternally. But what I remember even more than that conversation was “the pause”. Yes, after I uttered those words to my Mom, it wasn’t the conversation that followed that impacted me the most, it was the 30 second pause. Her reaction?……a pause.
I talk about it often when I share the story of Joy In The Cause. It was as if she was having a conversation with God, and there was about a 30 second pause of such peace. She was smiling, she had her eyes closed and I knew something was going on in her spirit. I know now that God was just giving her a glimpse. An odd defying glimpse of the miracles He had in store…..even through cancer. He had a mission for her in those last years of her life, and it all began with……a pause. After that pause she looked at me and said “Let’s do this! God has something huge ahead in this journey and we will make it about Joy, about paying it forward and helping others through their journey! Let’s go treasure hunting and find the miracles God has waiting! And it was at that moment she uttered those words that have become part of the mission of Joy In The Cause: Giving = Joy, Joy = Hope, Hope = Healing.
Mom waited. She paused. And she listened. The word pause is defined as “A break, stop, or rest, often for a calculated purpose or effect” Hearing the worst news of her life, that 30 second “rest” so to speak energized her for the journey of her life. God was in that rest and He most definitely had a calculated purpose ahead. Joy In The Cause was born in that 30 second pause and has reached thousands facing illness and crisis as a result. 30 seconds, that’s all it took!
Waiting, pausing, resting. Those words are hard for me. Impatience can set in and the last thing I want to do is wait? What? How can I rest when there is so much to be done? How can things get accomplished in a pause? This season of my life has probably taught me more than any other season I have ever walked through. And what I keep going back to in my spirit….is “the pause”. God saying to my heart “the answer is in the pause….listen….stop…..rest” Rest is a weapon of warfare. We recharge, renew, reset, and revive in that pause from the noise of life.
We can get so caught up in the noise of life that we fail to hear what is really important. God’s still small voice can be missed by all of the noises that draw us away. We often get discouraged because we don’t see an answer to the problem, but that answer is waiting…..in the “pause”.
The holiday season is busy. The hustle and bustle of all of the activities can consume our lives. And before we know it Christmas is over…..the holidays have passed….and it all flew by in a whirlwind. This year I want to enjoy those seconds more than ever. I want to look back at this holiday with a heart that paused and took in every second. We are not promised a tomorrow. Isn’t that alone worth pause…..to savor the seconds?
If you face the holidays with pain, loss, health issues, hurt from friends and family, depression, or loneliness…..there is healing in the pause. I have seen it first hand in this season of my life. So much can be revealed in that time of rest and waiting. Perspectives change, healing happens, and comfort comes onto the scene. May we never get so busy that we forget that precious pause. It can make all the difference.