Relational Grace by Chris Sasser

I don’t know about you, but it seems like there are a few times a year when I run into a bit of a dilemma. Things are moving along, and I feel the need to take a breath. The craziness and chaos of life sucks me right in, but I know I need something different. I know I need some sort of break, and I need to check my priorities. Sure, a vacation and a little “time off” would be nice, but I need something that will really speak to my soul and help me change the trajectory of my life.

I need to stop, sit, reflect, and step.

Stop: Learning how to stop what we are doing might not be as hard as you think. We’ve actually become conditioned to stop a lot of what we are doing these days. The problem is that we’ll stop working, stop engaging with people, and even stop enjoying things that bring us life to hop on our phones and get lost in the nothingness of scrolling. We’ve learned how to stop some things in order to escape them and get sucked into mindless information and entertainment. As we seek to refocus our priorities, we might need to reframe what it means to stop. Stopping doesn’t equal becoming engulfed in the digital world. Stopping means stopping.

Sit: When I hear God in Psalm 46:10 say, “Be still and know that I am God,” I have a picture in my mind of what that looks like. I see myself sitting. I have a few spots around the house and the yard that are places where I feel a sense of peace. They are places where I know I can just sit and be. I also think of being in nature. I love sitting on a beach or on a mountain ridge, staring at the beauty of God’s creation. I’m not always close to the beach or the mountains, but I can somehow go there in my mind. The point is this: When I learn how to really stop, I also need to just sit. I need to sit and be. I don’t need to do anything; I just need to rest in the peace of God and sit in His presence.

Reflect: Years ago, I used to pride myself on a part of my personality. I would say things like, “I am always looking forward, and I rarely look back.” I wore this idea as a kind of leadership badge of honor, thinking that the ability to block out the past and just move forward was a strength. Boy, have I changed that thought process! Over the last number of years, I’ve learned to understand just how much our past and the baggage we carry impact our present and our future. I’ve learned to value digging into the past and identifying harmful (and helpful) patterns that I have developed over the years. Learning to reflect not only on where we are but on where we’ve been is incredibly valuable. I’ve also learned how to reflect on the goodness of God and attempt to live with a sense of gratitude towards Him for all He has done for me. When I make reflection a normal part of my life, I can better see what God is doing and how He is asking me to respond.

Step: When it comes to beginning to move forward in any area of life, understand that you don’t have to move too fast or go too far. You just need to take a step. Often, all we need to determine is, “What’s the right next step?” We don’t always need to have everything planned out or see the entire picture. We just need to take a step. Don’t get me wrong, trying to have a vision for the future and attempting to forecast where you want to go is great, but we shouldn’t let the need for a completely clear picture of the future paralyze us to the point that we can’t just take one step.

Practicing these four concepts can give you the reset you need to put a bigger focus on your faith in God and allow Him to work in your life. It won’t fix all your problems, but it will lead you to a better place mentally, emotionally, and spiritually and help you be in a better place to lead your family in a healthy way.