Stand Outside of Time

Learn how to embrace the pause

By Chardonnay Beaver The term “selah” has recently entered my orbit of the world. Though I enjoy words, synonyms, antonyms and definitions – I haven’t reached “Akeelah and the Bee” status – selah is a verb unlike any other. Selah is a practice of pause that invites eternity into our fragmented human reality. Selah is mysterious and beautiful. Some understand selah as a silent prayer; while others consider it to be an intimate praise of gratitude. Selah, to me, is the act of honoring the present through intentional pauses. Deriving from the ancient Hebrew culture, this practice has been defined as sacred. Yet, as I ponder on the gift of now, I think we all can use a bit of selah in our lives. Pausing allows us to evaluate what time has brought before us. Though we often see dramatic pauses in movies as reactive, selah is responsive. Responses can be intentional, but reactions are impulsive. How can we improve the way we respond? I believe the practice of selah can help with that. Words of Wisdom by Char of the Week: Embrace the pause. Embrace the silence. Respond in praise and gratitude, that the very God we desperately need desires to fulfill in ways nothing else can. Selah, my friend, embrace selah.