Hi, it is so lovely to have you drop by! I have a lovely cuppa prepared for us with delicious treats. While we sit & reflect on pausing & what this actually means for our wellbeing.
Today’s tea is a Ginger & Lemongrass herbal blend with an assortment of nuts & dried fruits to nibble upon as we sip our tea.
Modern Life is so busy, demanding, rushed & led by deadlines of some sort or another…Don’t you think?
Then there are family pressures, work expectations, health issues, financial pressures & then our own personal expectations of ourselves (even when in retirement)!
This all adds up to our bodies & minds being in a continual state of adrenaline fuelled stress.
This is really not good for us! Our bodies & minds were never meant to be in this constant state of adrenal hyper vigilance. It causes our bodies, minds & spirits to become extremely weary & fuzzy…
We start to lose focus on the true treasures of life. As seen in the fuzzy & unfocused background in the above photo!
We need to pause…reflect & refresh often! Did you know that the Ancient’s did this & they didn’t even live in our crazy modern world, they left the following wisdom for us;
Selah ~ meaning to pause & reflect
This term is mentioned approximately 74 times in the scripts of the Ancient Hebrews!
This term & its meaning was once thought to be purely a musical term but there are many scholars who believe it has a twofold meaning for life. I agree!
The following advice is also found;
Be still ~ meaning to let go & relax
Which is also mentioned several times in the ancient texts… Jesus the Christ himself, while here on earth, gave us the example of withdrawing to be still, reflect, refresh & pray often within His journey.
You see our body & minds are not super human…but wonderfully human.
We need to take time to pause from life’s pressures, stresses & expectations…to reflect upon where we are in life & where our spirit is placed in the spiritual things of God.
To see His workings in our lives & to ascertain where we are heading…are we going in the direction that is healthy & growing us towards our upward goal or are we treading a path that deep down we know is really unhealthy for us & pulling us backwards!
There is also a wisdom attached to being still, as seen in the following verse;
“Let go & relax, & know that I am God”
Psalm 46:10
Reflective time with the Spirit of God brings clarity in knowing & recognising God’s presence & treasures in our lives.
When we take that all important time to pause & reflect…refreshingly new clarity appears…
Our lives come sharply into focus in where we are truly heading…just like the focused image of the glass in the photo above…
So dear friend…Let me ask you the following question…
When was the last time you purposefully stilled yourself in body, mind & spirit?
Letting go of all the musts & to do’s, truly relaxing in God’s presence to reflect upon the true treasure in your life.
Until next time…
Jennifer
You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook
Or in Prayer
© 2019 Jennifer M. Ross, teawithjennifer.blog All Rights Reserved. Photo by Pexels.com
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Tea With Jennifer on life, love & laughter... 
Great post! I am learning to spend more time in reflection, lingering with the Lord, knowing Him more. It’s wonderful to set aside time to just pause. Thank you! Blessings!
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Thank you Cheryl, it is so refreshing when we take that time to pause & reflect with Him…isn’t it 😀
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I need more selah in my days (autocorrect kept changing it to “seals” – I do NOT need more seals in my life, ha). Thanks for the encouragement to pause and reflect more in my day today, Jennifer.
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Lol! No none of us need more seals in our lives Lisa! You’re most welcome 😀
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Thank you Jennifer. I have spent two weeks catching up after a month long break! Happily, back in a more balanced rhythm and looking forward to regular still time again.
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Yes, we can get out of sink when we change our routines. Lovely having you here Brigid 😀
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I so agree, Jennifer. My challenge is that I see the issue and make a change and then it can so easily creep back in down the road a bit. The dailyness of life can keep us twirling for sure. We have had extreme bitter cold and snow the past few weeks. The “gift” of that has been that most of us have been indoor with a quieter atmosphere and pace. Those times almost seem like God reminding us all that if we are unwilling to pause our pace that He will remind us of why it is important via such a weather change in winter.
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I agree Pam, weather extremes can be a good time to pause & reflect. We have had one of the hottest Summer’s on record keeping everyone inside in the air conditioning. Great time to linger in reflection with Him 😉
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Excellent advice, so easy to get wrapped up in the race. 🌸
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Absolutely, we can all get sidetracked on that race 😉
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One of the best aspects of retirement is how many opportunities there are to sit in silence. I am naturally contemplative, so I love it.
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It’s using those opportunities wisely… Isn’t it Elizabeth 😀
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🤓(me looking wise)
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My favourite tea…ginger and lemongrass Jennifer. When I take time out to rest, I pause and focus on my breathing, let my thoughts pass through without focusing…and fall asleep!! So much for meditating! I hope you are well.
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You must need the sleep Marie 😉
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I am never but tired but I refuse to give in. Pacing myself helps! Will have to try meditate after my nap! Probably sleep off again though!! Le grà, Marie xx
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Sleep is restoration 😉
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It sure works for me, gives me a second run at the day!
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Such precious thoughts, Jennifer. Especially since my Vietnamese Daughter-in-law’s name is pronounced “Selah.” I love the way that God has been working in my own heart to bring His peace, ever since He brought her into our lives. Thank you for these words today.
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What a beautiful name she has Bettie!
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Jennifer, I so long to just “be still” instead of being run-down and stressed. I must make it a priority. Thanks for these timely truths.
Blessings,
Pam
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I remember a wise old testament lecturer at Bible College telling us students, if we were stressed & tired out we were far busier than God wanted us to be 😉 I have never forgotten that wise advice Pam ♥
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Yes, those times of rest and refreshment are so important! The world would push us to keep going and it’s easy to get caught up in that but we need those moments just to be still and rest in God’s presence.
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Absolutely, Lesley! Sweet refreshment in Him. 😀
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I have just found your blog (yesterday)–beautiful pictures and timely devos. I, too, suffer from a chronic illness so related to your posts and almost wept to hear of others who feel the same way.. Bless you for these.
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I’m sorry to hear you are traveling the road of chronic illness too Shirley, its a difficult journey…isn’t it!
But it helps to have fellow companions along the way who understand the difficult terrain.
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I think I just replied to the wrong devotional–have just discovered yours and would like to be put on your mailing list (email) to receive daily posts (or as often as they come out). Thanks
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Will send you an email invite Shirley, just follow the prompts for a weekly email alert 😀
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I definitely need more selah in my life! In good weather, the hubs and I like to spend Saturday afternoons at the lake, reflecting on life and enjoying nature. I haven’t found a way to do that when I can’t go to the lake!
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It sounds a lovely place Jerralea, I love the water too…Lovely to have you join me here 😀
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Thanks for this beautiful reminder to quiet ourselves before the Lord. I’ve chosen your post as my Grace & Truth feature this week. Please stop by tomorrow (Friday) to get the “I Was Featured” button for this post. Thanks for linking up so faithfully!
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Oh thank you Aimee, what a blessing! 😀
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I need to do a lot more of this. laurensparks.net
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Happy New Year to you Lauren!
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Jennifer – I’m entering the season where I love tea, steeped, in a quiet – and right now quiet is hard for me to find, but I am learning to still myself in the middle of holding a baby, rolling out dough – quiet myself and meet Him in things I cannot set down right now. I am thirsting, though, for a still, nothing-to-do moment, but God has told me to embrace where I am right now!
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Maryleigh, embracing the season God has given you is always a Blessing 😀
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