It’s summertime, which for me conjures up memories of being at the “Lake House” with my cousins, perpetually in a wet swim suit, rarely out of the lake. One of the many games we would play was “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying”.
Ok, it wasn’t a real active game, but you know…simple pleasures. And nobody actually died so our parents considered it a win.
Sometimes, as adults, without even thinking about it, we play life like the “who-can-hold-their-breath-longest-without-dying” game.
When I started running, I became much more aware of the importance of rhythm and rest, and basics. Like breathing. And not holding our breath til we, you know, pass out.
This is not about Sabbath, but Selah. Selah is a term used mostly in the Psalms and a few times in Habbakuk that is a bit of a mystery. Scholars aren’t positive what it means, but they think it means “rest” or “pause”.
Mark Batterson says, like in music, if Sabbath is a full rest, maybe Selah is a sixteenth rest. A chance to catch your breath.
Or maybe Selah is the life jacket that helps us pop up above the water of everyday stress.
If, as Eugene Peterson says, Sabbath is a day of “shutting down and shutting up.” maybe Selah moments are those in your day where you stop to think about breathing. Reorient, and remember that you’re not in control, but you know the One who is. Continue reading