“Ordinary moments become holy moments when we pause to be with Jesus and see through His eyes. To practice pausing and asking for revelation is to invite Sabbath-like moments into our lives — morning, noon, and night.”- Alan Wright
“The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent and believe in the gospel.”- Mark 1:15 (ESV)
In Chapter 13 (“Practicing: Seeing Like Jesus Every Day”) of Seeing as Jesus Sees, Alan Wright stresses that false news always blurs vision. Thus, it’s possible for deep disappointment to blind anyone.
Yet, when Jesus asked the Emmaus disciples what they were conversing about, they “stood still (Luke 24:17).” Above all, Jesus absolutely refused to let the disciples continue stumbling in the dark without a pause. Jesus wants us to slow down as well. So that He can open our eyes.
In addition, we need to pause from all the distractions and choices. A famous study in the year 2000 revealed that customers who saw a display of six gourmet jams were ten times more likely to but jam than those presented with a display of twenty-four jar. Because the overabundance of choices paralyzed customers.
We tend to think that more choices means more freedom. But life works just the opposite. Consequently, because we try to process too much, we lead distracted lives.
Therefore, pausing allows us to see through the chaos to focus on what really matters. As a result, Alan underscores:
“Pausing is an act of defiance against the serpent’s invitation to eat from the do-to-be tree. The primal temptation of ‘you must do something to be like God’ blinded Adam and Eve. There are, of course, many important things for us to do in this world. The pause isn’t to defy accomplishment — it is to defy the tyranny and false promises of always doing more. When I pause to ask Jesus for His eyes, I consider it a tiny Sabbath from the rush of life.”
Today’s question: For you, what turns ordinary moments into holy moments? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Authentic hope or self-absorption”
