The Need To Hit Pause

As we saw yesterday, busyness is a problem. Our lives are lived from one activity to the next. Our calendars are full, our schedules are packed, and our to-do lists feel like they may never end.


We’re drowning in busyness and need help!


Enter what I call white space.


White space is time during the day used to think, breathe, ponder, plan, etc. It’s open, unscheduled, unassigned time. It’s where genuine creativity and true productivity blossom from. And it all starts with a strategic pause.


Strategic pauses are good for us. They allow us an opportunity to do necessary things like rest, recuperate, reflect, etc. Things that busyness often hinders us from doing.


Consider the word “Selah” in the Bible. While the true meaning of the word remains a mystery, most scholars believe it to be a musical notation which likely means “silence,” or “pause.” The Septuagint (LXX), which is the earliest Greek translation of the Old Testament, translates Selah as “interlude.” And according to this tradition when coming to the word Selah one should pause and reflect on what was just read. This pause gives the reader the opportunity to let God’s Word soak into their heart and mind.


That’s a strategic pause!


Jesus also practiced the strategic pause. In Mark’s Gospel Jesus has a lot going on early in His ministry. First, we find Him tempted by Satan in the wilderness. Then He sets off preaching the Gospel in Galilee and gathering His first disciples. Next, He casts out an impure spirit. Finally, we see Him healing tons of sick people and driving out many other demons. Jesus was a busy man!


That’s why, according to Mark, the very next thing Jesus does is wake up early and go off to a quiet place to pray. This was His strategic pause. This was Jesus’s time to meet with the Father, to rest, to recuperate, and to prepare for the next step on His journey.


Breaking free from busyness begins with a strategic pause. These pauses afford you a moment to think, to gain perspective and clarity. And they give you that moment you need to let the Holy Spirit lead you into whatever’s waiting on the other side of the pause. This is how you access white space. This is how you begin to unlock real joy and productivity!

White Space Moment:

Take a moment right now, a strategic pause, and reflect on the devotional you just read. Ask God to help you be aware of times in your day when you can introduce a strategic pause.