by Donya Dunlap | Jun 9, 2016 | The Spiritual Life
Last Wednesday I passed a church sign that read, “Selah: Pause and Reflect.” I’ve been meditating on those four simple words ever since. Selah is a word found 74 time in Scripture—71 times in the Psalms and 3 times in Habakkuk chapter 3. Biblical scholars agree that it is a musical term, the majority believe it means to pause, rest, or silence as in a musical interlude (BlueLetterBible.com).
If you have read The Wonder Woman’s Manifesto, you know that the concept of Sabbath is something that God has been kneading into my heart for some time now. I immediately connected Selah to Sabbath—a time to pause and reflect on God and life, a time to renew and be refreshed.
God places great value on Selah.
We as busy, modern, overachievers bristle against the idea of pausing. Our calendars are filled to overflowing, and our churches are not exempt. Between Sunday and midweek services, visitation, youth events, mission trips, service projects, summer camps, and small group sessions, we barely have time to breathe. I say this not from a heart of judgment, but from sincere introspection as I am quite content to be juggling a half-dozen things at once myself.
Since moving back to Michigan, life has changed dramatically for me. I no longer rush from job to rehearsal to church to Infusion to homework to…you get the picture. I have entered a season of pause, an interlude. Oddly, instead of enjoying a slower pace, I often find myself struggling with my identity.
Who Am I?
Am I a writer? A housekeeper? A daughter? Can I put “daughter” on a bank account application? What do people think of me? Does it matter what they think? Does anything I do matter at all?
I understand now why losing a job or going into retirement can be difficult for people. It seems that we believe what we do is the equivalent of who we are. If we keep a clean house, have well behaved children, hold a respectable position at work, and have a growing number of attendees at our services then we are good mothers, parents, providers, and pastors. This is a lie.
What has God told me to be?
I wonder if all the rushing about is meant to silence these questions of our hearts? We wonder if we are making a difference and if God is pleased with our efforts. We try so hard to fulfill this image in our minds of who we are supposed to be and never pause to reflect on what God has told us to be.
Psalm 37:7
Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth!
Creation gives us the example of God resting on the seventh day, the Ten Commandments instruct us to do the same, and Jesus, the One who had every right to rush about looking important, made it a priority to pull away from the crowds to rest and seek God’s face alone. The things we do for God are important, but enjoying God’s presence is more so.
What are my actions communicating?
If I had moved home to care for my father and continued a frenzied pace of activity, ignoring him and avoiding time with him, what would my actions be communicating? Without saying a word, I would be telling him that he wasn’t important, valued, respected, or loved as he ought to be. When we rush about doing for God instead of spending time being with Him, we communicate the very same things.
It is vital for the Christian to incorporate Selah into his or her life. Rest. Reflect. Trust that God means these times of interlude to propel you into more meaningful service. Your identity is not in your actions, but in your association. You are first and foremost a child of God. Rest in the riches of His love for you. Revel in the status He gives to you. Trust that He will help you fulfill His plan for your life in His timing. Selah: pause and reflect.
I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. How has rest and reflection made a difference in your life? Do you find it difficult to create breathing room in the calendar? How can you take steps to add time for God into your day?
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by Donya Dunlap | Jun 7, 2016 | The Spiritual Life
I used to call my mom almost every day. Not out of obligation, but because I truly enjoyed her. We would chat about the weather, what book she was reading, what project I was working on, and any other randomness that came to mind. I loved hearing her voice. I always knew that I might live alone, but no matter what happened, good or bad, she would be there to laugh or cry with me even though we were often nearly 700 miles apart.
This weekend I drove to North Carolina to help my sister with my niece’s graduation party. I so badly wanted to call my mom and tell her all about it. She would have laughed at the frosting fiasco. (Corn flour does not make a good substitute for powdered sugar in case you were wondering.) She would have been so pleased to know the scrapbook paper she gave to Brooke before she passed away was used for the decorations. After the party she would have played cards with my sister and I, joining us in eating too many leftover cupcakes and laughing until we couldn’t breathe.
Absent in body but not in spirit
During the party, I walked around the room snapping pictures of everything, my eyes welling with tears thinking about the gaping hole Mom left in our lives when she went to heaven. Late that night, my sister reminded me that Mom was there with us in spirit and in love. She was a part of the paper banners and the photo display. Her Bible was a focal point with Brooke’s favorite verse highlighted in yellow from a time when it spoke to Mom during her personal devotions. Mom was all around us even though we couldn’t feel her presence.
This has given me yet another new perspective on Hebrews 13:5. I’ve written on the passage before, but this weekend I noticed the correlation between my Mom’s passing and Jesus’ ascension. Even though Jesus no longer walks this earth, He has promised to never leave us or forsake us. He is with us in the sunset and the rainbow, the opening flowers of spring and His written Word. His Holy Spirit hears our prayers, comforting us in our sorrow and giving us strength to face another day.
Lonely, but never alone
Someday I will see Jesus face to face. I will hug his neck and breathe in His scent just as I used to do every time I saw my Mom and exactly as I will again in heaven when I see her there. That will be a wonderfully joyful moment that I know I cannot fully understand while in this mortal condition. But today, I can rest in Jesus’ promise that He is with me. I can’t see Him, but He will never forsake me. At the moment of my salvation, I became His child. His DNA is part of my make up. His blood covered my sins and opened a channel of communication making it possible for Him to share in my joys and sympathize with my frustrations.
Brooke’s favorite verse is Zephaniah 3:17:
The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness; He will quiet you by His love; He will exult over you with loud singing.
This is the God we serve. A mighty God who is with us always. He saves us in our deepest need and rejoices with us at the top of His lungs. He is our security. He is our Savior. He is our companion in life, death, resurrection, and graduation parties. I wouldn’t be surprised at all to learn that He and my Mom watched the whole event together, recounting all of Brooke’s special milestones and talking about her future.
There have been many moments in the last weeks when I have felt lonely and wished I could talk to my mom. I have questions to ask and situations I would like her perspective on. I imagine she would answer as she often did, “Just pray about it. God will show you what to do.” She hasn’t been wrong yet with that advice.
I might feel lonely, but I am never alone. In fact, if I listen closely…I can hear Him singing.
by Donya Dunlap | Jun 3, 2016 | Book Reviews, The Spiritual Life
When I read the prologue to Bittersweet by Shauna Niequiest, I expected the following pages to unfold like many other Christian books I’ve read; Scripture verses sprinkled through the author’s tale of a difficult time in life during which she was able to cling to hope and somehow survive. What actually followed was nothing like I imagined.
The pages of Bittersweet are filled with snapshots—descriptions of Shauna’s life in moments of time. They are neither overly religious or lacking in faith. They are honest retellings of dinner parties, arguments, vacations, miscarriages, and family gatherings. Shauna speaks of hard times following personal loss and failure, moving houses, moving friends, changes in ministry, and rough spots in her marriage. But she also recalls breathtaking moments of laughter with those she loves, mouthwatering meals with descriptions that will inspire you to makeover your refrigerator every time, and sailing under a canopy of stars.
At first I didn’t understand why my friend sent the book to me after the loss of my mother. There were no tips on how to survive a new life after death, or steps to outline dealing with waves of emotion that crash on your soul at inopportune times. But somewhere around the middle, I discovered the treasure that this book is.
Shauna gifts to her readers a fresh perspective. She models a less-than-perfect child of God catching life preservers God throws out at key points in the storm and clinging to them for survival. These sparks of love, good food, community, and forgiveness add sweetness to the daily that drags us down. She reminds the reader that both bitter and sweet are necessary ingredients to create a life that is rich, full of multifaceted flavor and grace.
Read it with a box of Kleenex.
Have you read Bittersweet? If so, I’d love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.
Happy reading!
