All You Need Is A Pause

August 5, 2026

by Shelley

You ever have one of those nights where sleep just isn't in the cards?

Maybe you've got a toddler's foot lodged in your spine. Maybe your cat has decided your feet are the perfect place to make biscuits at 2:00 a.m., maybe you just can't turn your mind off long enough to fall asleep. Next thing you know, you're hanging onto that tiny little strip of mattress between the bed and the floor, wondering how it's even physically possible to have this little space left.

That was me.

Then morning came.

The rain was tapping on the windows, the bed was warm, and every fiber of my being wanted to pull the blankets back over my head. I didn't want to get up. I didn't want to go to work. I didn't want to make breakfast. I didn't even want to "mom."

Unfortunately for me, my three-year-old had other plans.

He woke up bright-eyed, bushy-tailed, and ready to conquer the world...while I was still trying to remember my own name after surviving the Toddler Foot Olympics the night before.

Normally, I like to start my mornings with a little quiet. Coffee. Prayer. Just a few minutes to breathe before the chaos begins.

That didn't happen today.

Instead, my day started in survival mode.

But somewhere between making my son's smoothie and pouring my first cup of coffee, I remembered something I've been learning over the last few years...and trying to maintain...because let's face it, I'm human and don't always apply the things I learn or know.

Pause.

Not for an hour. Not even for ten minutes.

Just...pause.

Take a breath.

Remember who's actually in charge here.

Because if I rely on how I feel, I'm probably crawling back into bed. But if I stop long enough to shift my focus back to God, everything changes. My circumstances don't magically disappear. The rain is still falling. The laundry still needs done. Work is still waiting. My toddler is still asking for seventeen different snacks before 8:00 a.m.

But my perspective changes.

It's amazing what God can do with one intentional pause.

Sometimes we think we need a whole day off, a weekend away, or everything in our lives to calm down before we can find peace. But more often than not, peace isn't found when life gets quieter....it's found when we stop long enough to remember who walks through the noise with us.

So today, I paused.

I took a breath.

I thanked God for another day, even though it didn't start the way I wanted it to.

And then I got up, grabbed my coffee, kissed my little boy, and kept moving.

Some days, that's the victory.

If today feels heavy, if your coffee is your emotional support beverage, if you're running on four hours of sleep and pure determination, maybe this is your reminder too.

Pause.

Take a breath.

Give it back to God.

He's carried far heavier things than whatever today is throwing at you.

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