An Invitation to Pause - Episode 15

WEBVTT

00:00:19.120 --> 00:00:22.800
What if this ending is simply an invitation to pause?

00:00:23.440 --> 00:00:32.409
Not to figure anything out, not to plan, not to evaluate the year or rush ahead to the next one, but just to pause?

00:00:33.369 --> 00:00:39.130
Hi, I'm Melissa, and this is my question for your and today feels a little different.

00:00:39.770 --> 00:00:41.689
This isn't a teaching episode.

00:00:41.929 --> 00:00:45.369
There's no lesson to unpack, no list to walk through.

00:00:45.770 --> 00:00:50.090
It's just a moment to sit together as this year comes to a close.

00:00:50.890 --> 00:00:56.969
So wherever you're listening from, however this year has treated you, I'm really glad you're here.

00:01:07.129 --> 00:01:08.969
This time of year carries a lot.

00:01:09.609 --> 00:01:14.489
For some people, it's full, it's busy, loud, celebratory.

00:01:15.370 --> 00:01:20.409
For others, it's quieter, heavier, and more reflective.

00:01:21.290 --> 00:01:23.780
For many of us, it's a mix of both.

00:01:24.500 --> 00:01:40.180
There's gratitude for what was good, relief that some things are over, and maybe even grief for what didn't turn out the way we hoped, and that subtle awareness that a new year's coming, even if we're not ready to think about it yet.

00:01:40.980 --> 00:01:50.099
So before we move on, before we label or resolve or decide anything, I just want to invite you to pause with me for a few minutes.

00:01:51.359 --> 00:01:52.640
I want to say thank you.

00:01:53.040 --> 00:01:54.319
Thank you for listening.

00:01:54.719 --> 00:02:01.920
Thank you for showing up, sometimes quietly, for sitting with these questions week after week with me.

00:02:02.560 --> 00:02:08.080
Some of you might listen while you're driving, some while you're doing chores or folding laundry.

00:02:08.400 --> 00:02:10.639
Some, in moments you don't tell anyone about.

00:02:11.360 --> 00:02:14.479
You don't always comment, you don't always reach out.

00:02:14.560 --> 00:02:16.159
I don't always know you're there.

00:02:16.840 --> 00:02:19.319
But your presence matters more than you know.

00:02:20.199 --> 00:02:25.879
This podcast has never been about numbers or likes or noise.

00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:27.719
It's about space.

00:02:28.599 --> 00:02:37.560
And if you've made space this year, even just for a few minutes at a time, I'm grateful that you chose to spend it here with me.

00:02:38.680 --> 00:02:41.719
I'll be honest with you, this season has been full.

00:02:42.610 --> 00:02:45.090
Beautiful, but still full.

00:02:45.490 --> 00:02:55.889
Because like many of you, I've also been moving through the holidays, juggling responsibilities, work, various conversations, expectations.

00:02:56.530 --> 00:03:05.009
And I haven't always had the long, quiet stretches that I usually crave when I'm writing and working through my podcasts.

00:03:05.330 --> 00:03:07.889
But even in that, I'm noticing something.

00:03:09.020 --> 00:03:12.460
God doesn't always meet us in perfectly prepared moments.

00:03:13.259 --> 00:03:24.219
Sometimes he meets us in the pause that we didn't plan, in the breath between one thing and the next, right here in this moment, right now.

00:03:25.340 --> 00:03:27.180
So here's my question for you today.

00:03:28.300 --> 00:03:33.020
What if this ending is simply an invitation to pause?

00:03:34.389 --> 00:03:50.710
Not to rush any into anything, not to carry pressure into the New year just to notice what's settling in your heart right now, what feels complete, what still feels open and unfinished.

00:03:51.669 --> 00:03:55.270
You don't need answers, just awareness.

00:03:56.710 --> 00:03:58.710
I know the New Year's on the horizon.

00:03:59.520 --> 00:04:05.280
Soon there will be talks of goals and plans and resolutions, and those things have their place.

00:04:06.240 --> 00:04:07.199
But not yet.

00:04:08.080 --> 00:04:15.759
Before we get into all of that, there's this moment, this in between space where you're allowed to simply be.

00:04:16.399 --> 00:04:27.089
To be still, to be quiet, to find a place to pause and to really think about everything that this year brought to you.

00:04:27.329 --> 00:04:32.209
The good and the bad, the ups and the downs, the joy, the hurt.

00:04:32.769 --> 00:04:41.970
Every experience that you've been through and what it has meant to you, let it shape you and help you form those resolutions for next year.

00:04:42.290 --> 00:04:50.769
And in order to be able to do that the proper way and the right way, you owe it to yourself to just pause and let it all sink in.

00:04:51.250 --> 00:04:54.300
You know, because you don't have to decide who you'll become next year.

00:04:54.300 --> 00:04:55.180
Not right now.

00:04:55.500 --> 00:04:58.379
You don't have to name your word or map your steps.

00:04:59.339 --> 00:05:10.300
Maybe all you carry forward into the new year is a posture, a willingness to listen, a gentler pace, a quieter trust.

00:05:11.420 --> 00:05:13.180
That's all you need right now.

00:05:23.360 --> 00:05:26.959
As this year comes to a close, my hope for you is simple.

00:05:27.360 --> 00:05:39.199
That you'd be kind to yourself, that you'd honor what this year required of you, and that you trust deep down that what's next doesn't need to be forced.

00:05:40.160 --> 00:05:41.360
Clarity will come.

00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:42.959
Direction will come.

00:05:43.439 --> 00:05:45.759
But first, rest.

00:05:47.050 --> 00:05:49.610
So let this ending be what it needs to be.

00:05:50.250 --> 00:05:53.769
An invitation to pause, a moment to breathe.

00:05:54.170 --> 00:05:56.170
A gentle turning of the page.

00:05:57.129 --> 00:05:59.209
Thank you for walking with me this year.

00:05:59.610 --> 00:06:08.009
And as always, keep asking, keep listening, and trust that even in the quiet, God is near.

00:06:17.519 --> 00:06:22.720
Before you go, if this episode stirred something in you, don't let it stop here.

00:06:23.439 --> 00:06:31.120
Join the growing My question for you community at my question for you.com and get my free Reflection guide.

00:06:31.120 --> 00:06:37.680
It follows along with each weekly episode and gives you more ways to dive in and grow closer to God.

00:06:37.920 --> 00:06:45.209
And you'll also get my weekly email called A Quiet Invitation, where you can take the conversation even deeper.

00:06:45.610 --> 00:06:52.329
And if you believe someone else needs to hear this, I hope that you would please share it, tag it, or post it to your story.

00:06:52.889 --> 00:06:59.529
Because every click and every share helps spread encouragement for the spirit and wisdom for the walk.

00:07:12.709 --> 00:07:12.949
It.