October is over. Halloween is past, its ghoulish decorations put away for another year.
Thanksgiving is still two weeks away and, in spite of the store decorations screaming that it is just around the corner, Christmas is still six weeks away.
We are almost two weeks into November. It is an in-between time that I am beginning to cherish and look forward to every year.
It is a season of selah.
Thanksgiving is still two weeks away and, in spite of the store decorations screaming that it is just around the corner, Christmas is still six weeks away.
We are almost two weeks into November. It is an in-between time that I am beginning to cherish and look forward to every year.
It is a season of selah.
Selah is a term used in the Bible, mostly in the Psalms. It's one of those words that is of "uncertain meaning", the best bet being that it is a musical term indicating that there is a musical interlude during which we are to pause and listen, to think about what has come before, and to prepare for what is coming next.
I know our current calendar was not in the mind of the ancient Hebrews when they used the word selah, but I can think of no better command for this pre-holiday season. To take time to look back on the past year, right up to the darkness that gets more of its share of attention in October. To take a moment to reflect on all that God has done in the past year, to remember all that has been lost and all that has been gained, to think about resolutions that were abandoned or added, and about lessons learned.
And then to look ahead at the season to come. The season of giving thanks, of acknowledging God's sovereign hand at work in our universe and in our lives, of reflecting on how Light invaded the Darkness over two millennium ago, bringing hope to the hopeless.
This is the season of selah. Looking back and looking ahead. No pressure to perform right now, just to be.
Pause. Take a moment to be still and know that He is God.
Listen. To what He is saying to you through His word, through the people in your life, through the world He has made.
Reflect. On what has happened this year, what you have lost, what you have learned, the questions you want to have answered, the dreams that are yet to be realized.
Prepare. For the giving of thanks, for the holiday season - and if you anticipate it being a difficult one, to prepare your heart and your mind for those challenges, asking God to carry you through it.
He is here, in the white space of life, as much as, or maybe more than, in the busy times. Meet Him here, and experience His love and His peace.
Selah.
I know our current calendar was not in the mind of the ancient Hebrews when they used the word selah, but I can think of no better command for this pre-holiday season. To take time to look back on the past year, right up to the darkness that gets more of its share of attention in October. To take a moment to reflect on all that God has done in the past year, to remember all that has been lost and all that has been gained, to think about resolutions that were abandoned or added, and about lessons learned.
And then to look ahead at the season to come. The season of giving thanks, of acknowledging God's sovereign hand at work in our universe and in our lives, of reflecting on how Light invaded the Darkness over two millennium ago, bringing hope to the hopeless.
This is the season of selah. Looking back and looking ahead. No pressure to perform right now, just to be.
Pause. Take a moment to be still and know that He is God.
Listen. To what He is saying to you through His word, through the people in your life, through the world He has made.
Reflect. On what has happened this year, what you have lost, what you have learned, the questions you want to have answered, the dreams that are yet to be realized.
Prepare. For the giving of thanks, for the holiday season - and if you anticipate it being a difficult one, to prepare your heart and your mind for those challenges, asking God to carry you through it.
He is here, in the white space of life, as much as, or maybe more than, in the busy times. Meet Him here, and experience His love and His peace.
Selah.
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