Pause and Pray by Tynea Lewis
Tynea Lewis is a teacher turned work-from-home mom. She and her husband live in Pennsylvania with their two children, and they love spending time together at their family cabin. Tynea remembers loving to write as early as first grade. She has a heart for encouraging others in the midst of their messes. You can connect with her at her personal blog (www.tynea-lewis.com),
Sometimes my schedule overwhelms me. It feels as though I’m juggling too many things. My plate is overflowing, and I’m simply trying to survive. When I become overwhelmed, I’m quick to respond in ways that hurt the people around me. I snap at my kids and husband. I also allow the stress to pull my mood down while the anxiety in my mind rises.
When I’m snapping at my kids… When I’m irritated with my husband… When I just want to run away from my problems… I need to pause. I need to pray.
When our world feels like it’s spinning out of control, we try to grab onto anything around us to pull us out of the chaos, but how often do we just stop for a moment?
Sitting at the feet of Jesus puts everything into perspective. Quieting my busy mind allows me to hear the whispers that give clarity and direction.
It’s so hard for me to do that. It’s so hard for me to press pause when it feels like I’ve gotten caught up in everything around me.
Psalm 62:5-6 (NIV) says, “Find rest, O my soul, in God alone; my hope comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will not be shaken.”
I need to do better about silencing all the noise. I need to pause and pray. Instead of trying to control everything on my own, I need to give it over to God. When I’m anxious… When I’m fearful… When I’m too busy…
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Lord, thank you for being a constant in my life. You are the only one who can breathe life into my weary soul. My focus needs to be on you, and too often it’s not. I ask that you forgive me for looking to the world instead of to you. Keep my eyes and heart focused on you, and remove the things from my schedule that don’t belong there. In Jesus’ name, Amen.
