Selah

This word Selah appears in scripture... do you know what it means? I learned several years ago that it means to stop and pause, Think about what you just read. I have to tell you I did not like this word very much. I, like many others, do not like to stop in the middle of something to spend time "thinking" when we are on a roll, well, we just need to keep rolling! LOL... seriously in our society and in our generation, stopping to think or meditate or smell the roses is just not what successful people do. we not only do not slow down we multi-task! I am a very good multi tasker! I have been known to be successful doing many things at the same time. So slowing down to just think about something for 5 minutes is painful sometimes... I tried timing myself this morning to spend 5 minutes thinking about one thing. needless to say my mind was all over the place! LOL.... it was quite a frustrating 5 minutes for me. yet, it reinforced my need to practice slowing down and thinking more often.

I am beginning to understand that it is necessary to slow down and not always be running at top speed. In fact I am starting to believe this is a huge weapon of the enemy, to keep us so busy, so wrapped up in multi tasking that we do not have the time or ability to focus on the things God would have us to focus on. We don't even want to try things that we have never done before for fear that we will not be able to do them perfectly so we don't try. Think of the old saying of practice makes perfect. well how many of us have time to practice? So if I have no time to practice I need to be able to do it right the first time so I do not have to redo it or practice before I can get it right. The reality is we need to slow down. We need to focus, we need to practice doing the things God would have us do. those things He prepared in advance for us to do. How sad if we get to the end of our life here on earth and we realized we did not do the things God wanted us to do because we were too busy doing other good things, or we were afraid to try for fear we would not be able to do it perfectly the first time.

So here is my prayer...

God forgive me for my arrogance of always thinking I need to do it perfectly the first time, forgive me for being so busy that I may be missing out of doing the things You Lord have prepared for me to do. Help me to slow down enough and for as long as necessary to understand what you have prepared for me to do in this season of my life. Help me to not get frustrated when I cannot accomplish things the way I think I should but allow me instead to seek your face and your way of accomplishing the things you would have me accomplish. help me to get up and try again when I fail. knowing that it is in my weakness your strength is made perfect. in the name of my precious Lord and Saviour Jesus, AMEN