Pause….. Recharge.  

That’s where I am right now - I’ve just finished several months of creative activity and have just completed a commissioned painting.   It’s time to quietly “regather”. A time to be still and absorb, to listen, and to fill the well. 

Rachel Kang, author of Let There Be Art, says that the intentional pause in our work is an opportunity to welcome God.  I’ve come to understand the truth of that - we are not meant to have an unending project list.  How can we discern His voice amidst the noise of constant motion - our constant doing?  

This pause, as the word implies, is not without end.  It’s not idleness or purposelessness. It’s not laziness. It is a time of preparing, planting and…. waiting with an open spirit.  Listening with eyes and ears.  

For those of us with a creative design, taking time to recharge and refuel is vital for our best work to be done.

For me, right now - today - and probably tomorrow, too… maybe even next week and the week after, “Be still, and realize that I am God” (Psalm 46:10) is not just a suggestion.  It is an invitation to slow my pace.  To take notice of the insignificant (which, as it turns out, may in fact be a gift meant for my delight.)  It’s a time to rest my heart and mind in the goodness of God’s love, and to be mindful of His presence.  A quiet time to imagine and give birth to new ideas.  This is regeneration and it’s a necessary step for new things to come.  

I see a natural rhythm here, like so many other aspects of how our world functions, including creative work.  But, I tend to feel guilty for not being “in motion”; for not being productive.  However, that’s a self imposed work expectation. 

Being in a season of quietness and pause is a gift to be enjoyed.  As I release tensions and give myself time to breathe, time to observe and appreciate what so easily goes unnoticed, time to listen with my eyes and ears and heart, I am refueling.   For what?  I don’t know yet!  But that will be revealed, and with it a new season will begin.  

Quietly waiting isn’t always comfortable, but it is internally valuable. And it requires intention.  It goes against the current of our loud, busy, frenetic culture.  What this looks like for me in this season is a slower pace and spending time….to listen to my own spirit, to converse with the Holy Spirit, to recognize the presence of God, to wander in nature and absorb beauty, to imagine, to enjoy the creative work of others, as I gather ideas and form new ones.  

I think this is why scripture tells us to “Be still and know that I am God.”  It’s what our souls so often need.  It’s meant to give us peace and rest,  and it’s meant for our good.  

What about you? Is a pause needed in what you are doing? Do you also feel a little guilty about taking time to recharge and refuel? Let me know about your experience in the comments.