Hit the pause button

First comes the cut.

Dr. Willis will open Jenna’s mouth tomorrow morning and dig in. He’ll hopefully resurface with her only two wisdom teeth.

Next comes the healing.

As soon as the injury ends, so starts the healing. Dr. Willis will stitch up the now empty sockets, place gauze there to slow the bleeding, and put her on antibiotics to prevent infection.

The rest of the day we’ll hit the pause button.

Pause is a quiet place.

It’s that space where you’re still too hurt to run back into life full-force. You slow down (or totally stop) for breathing room, to respect the injury incurred, and to allow a decent head start toward recovery.

Where are you bleeding? Have you been cut by a sharp word or attitude or behavior from someone else? Or maybe your own? Does your wound need space to heal?

Jesus invites you to pause.

There is healing in the pause.

There is grace in the pause.

In the pause, quietly open your awareness to the Lord's presence, to his good plan for your future, to his loving embrace of your pain.

It may be only ten minutes here and there. It may be longer as your situation allows. But the Lord awaits you in it.

The pause may not eliminate your pain or restore you to complete healing (yet), but Jesus can fill your empty place with grace. With love. His love. The One who not only wants your recovery the most, but who also has the most power to transform your brokenness into a sacred scar of beauty.

Just be willing to pause. Let his grace fill the space full.

And let the healing begin.

* * *

I’m entering week three of my fast from multitasking. I’m failing often, but the Lord is faithful to reveal more openings to pause.

But first I’m off to make vanilla pudding and blue Jell-O (by request) for Jenna to eat during her pause.