When I was growing up, our household was in constant motion. I don’t recall ever seeing Mama just sitting and doing nothing. If she was sitting, which was rare, she was reading the newspaper, working a jigsaw puzzle, or sewing a button onto a shirt.

When I was using dating apps, the most frequently asked question was, “Any exciting plans this weekend?”, and if I responded, “No”, they saw it as an opportunity to make plans with me. I felt led to explain that the weekends are my free time to do nothing, but that entails not making any plans. Needless to say, I wasn’t asked out often. Lol

The way we start our day determines the quality of life within the next few hours of the day. I’ve been practicing morning rituals for years and rarely walk through the same morning twice. It’s not about making a plan for the day, but rather letting the day unfold with it’s plan. The day offers clues to guide us toward what’s next once we’ve completed what’s in front of us.

A young UPS driver delivered a package and asked, “What are your plans this weekend?”, as if I should have plans. I flashed a knowing smile and replied with confidence, “Nothing. I plan absolutely nothing on the weekends.” My expression was sheer bliss while he looked puzzled, and it seemed to worry him that I had no plans. I laughed and said, “The weekends are spent doing whatever I please which to most will look like nothing, but it’s time spent refreshing my soul for Monday.”

He seemed relieved, but walked away thinking about how to plan nothing. I re-entered my home thinking, “I hope he figures it out as fast as he delivers.”

This summer has created space for me to hear from the heart more and to take a closer look at what God has given me up to this point to use for the next part of the journey. In June I began pausing twice a day to spend focused time with Him. Once in the morning and then again in the evening as if creating God-shaped bookends for my day. I’ve been using a free app called, The Pause App, and it was created by Christian author, John Eldredge and his team over at Wild at Heart Ministries.

This one thing has enhanced my daily living immeasurably. After completing one of the studies anchored by one of John’s books, they recommended another free app if you wanted to dive deeper. This one is called Lectio 365 and it walks you through praying the Bible everyday. I use this app for a midday pause and both of these apps bring me pure joy! Each lesson is displayed beautifully which are mesmerizing to look at, along with soft music and zero ads!

Both are free to use and each day my heart and soul feel a little more free since making this a daily priority to practice the pause.

9S
19W