Wasted to Sacred

Looking through the rearview mirror I watched the face of my sweet son in the back seat change in an instant. He had just climbed into the car after school with eyes lit up with excitement as he asked if one of his buddies could come over to our house that day. My day had been stressful and nonstop and I was already at the end of my wits. Shaking my head, I cut him off mid-sentence and sharply said, “No! We’re not doing that today!”

I watched the wind leave his sail as his eyes looked down and that enthusiastic smile turned into a look of hurt, disappointment, and rejection. I know kids, like many of us, have an ability to put on an awesome “pity party look”, but I knew this was different and I knew it had to do with the tone in my voice. I shut him down quickly and sharply not even giving him a chance to express himself. I also knew it was directly related to the previous stressful 4 hours I had just experienced. Hindsight is always 2020 but if I think about it and really get honest with myself, I know the negative tension I created in the car might have looked differently if I had taken the time to pause in that moment or even somewhere in my day leading up to that moment.

KLRC’s Chaplain Justin asked an interesting question to the staff one day. “What do you do with the transitions in your day?” I thought, “Transitions? Huh? What are you talking about?” He expounded, “In other words…what do you do in between tasks…that space where you’ve just finished one task and are about to take on a new one…right before a phone call or after a call, or while driving from point A to point B, etc.”  I thought, “Wow, what a question! So simple yet profound. What DO I do?” Honestly, I just move to the next task without blinking or if there is a small window of time, I use it to scroll Facebook or Instagram…not exactly things that fuel my soul. I realized how rarely I stop and take a quick moment to reflect on what just happened or what’s happening inside of me, much less invite God into that space.

That conversation was so impactful that I started paying attention to my transitions and reconnecting with God throughout my day. Sometimes it would be as simple as me praying the serenity prayer. “God grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.” Or maybe just saying a word of scripture under my breath. “Search my heart oh God and see if there is any offensive way within me and lead unto the way everlasting.” 

What I’ve noticed is that what used to be unimportant time gaps have turned into priceless pockets of rest. I reflect on what I’m feeling, talk to God about it, pray, and reset. It usually takes 5 minutes and I end up walking into a meeting or getting on the phone with a whole new attitude than I had just a few minutes prior. Regular appointments have often turned into divine appointments and those wasted minutes are now sacred minutes. And I’ve learned that if I don’t do it, then I carry junk with me throughout the day and it comes out somewhere else like it did in the car with my son.

If you’re struggling today to find rest for your soul or needing that extra strength to get you through your day, my prayer is that you’ll remember to take your transitions and use them to pause for just long enough to open the door for God to come in. He will calm your anxious thoughts, strengthen you, and give you rest. He’s waiting to be that sacred place for you and if you let him, he will most certainly show up in the most unique and beautiful ways.

“Come to me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest.” -Matthew 11:28

Much Love,

Christy