Every afternoon, Blaze, my Belgian Malinois, appears with his toy. He dumps his ball into my lap and onto my current project. I set it on the floor. He picks it up. Lap. Floor. Lap. Floor.

His brown eyes plead. Play with me. He just wants to be together. What an invitation. 

No hidden agendas. 

No expectations. 

No strings. 

Just relationship—if I’m willing to make time for him. 

To comply requires several things. Stop. Put my work down. And turn my focus to him. That’s hard for me, especially after walking him earlier that morning.

Especially when I’m in the work groove.

Especially when the to-do list already overwhelms me. 

Hitting the pause button feels like wasted time. Unproductive. Lazy even. 

But not to him. 

Blaze sees it as time with his human, uninterrupted and focused, however brief it might be. Sometimes he has to wait, but more and more I stop and take a moment just to love on him. 

And he’s eager for more. That dog will be in your lap faster than you can blink. All sixty pounds of him. He wants to be close. Often, he sprawls out behind me as I work at my standing desk, my knees locked, lest I step on him. 

How much more does God wait on us, hoping for a few moments together? 

The Call

Jesus calls:

I have loved you with an everlasting love. Jeremiah 31:3 

My beloved spoke and said to me, “Arise, my darling, my beautiful one, come with me.” Song of Solomon 2:10 

Then because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he [Jesus] said to them, “Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” Mark 6:31-33

The Action

In Psalm 27, David calls us to pauses, God-breaks, “My heart says of you, ‘Seek His face.’ Your face, LORD, I will seek.” We see his example in Psalm 119, “Seven times a day, I praise you for your righteous laws (Psalm 119:164).”

Several denominations in the church regularly hit the pause button to stop and pray. The prayer cycle of the Litany of the Hours singles out five to seven such pauses, depending on the version. In her book Seven Sacred Pauses: Living Mindfully Through the Hours of the Day, Macrina Wiederkehr lists them: The Night Watch (pre-dawn), The Awakening Hour (sunrise), The Blessing Hour (mid-morning), The Hour of Illumination (noon), The Wisdom Hour (mid-afternoon), The Twilight Hour (dusk), The Great Silence (before bed). 

If that sounds like a lot, remember we’re talking about a pause, not an hour in prayer. A deep breath, a recentering on Jesus, a short coffee break with our Beloved. 

The How-Tos

Pauses might include a Bible verse, a quick prayer, a worship song, a poem, a coloring page, a devotional, a short walk, meditation on a verse, topic, person, or event in Scripture. A snack that refuels us and the gratitude that goes with it. Simply being still to listen.

Tip: Include a notepad to write down the to-dos that could distract you and the “I love yous” you want to remember.

The When

Potential pauses might include emptying the dishwasher, folding laundry, driving, waiting in line, even shampooing your hair in the shower. Schedule some into your week. Set reminders if that’s helpful. Again, it’s a pause. Short, sweet, but intimate. 

Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46:10

And, by all means, bring the dog along. 

Question and Answers: 

Where are the natural pauses or breaks in your day? 

How do you typically spend them? 

How could those pauses be more beneficial? 

Hold a family-wide Hit the Pause Button moment, then regroup and share.

Monthly Resources for Kids

I creates one-page Bible studies for both preschoolers and elementary-aged students that parallel each month’s blog post. Click here for September’s download. Don’t miss the Everyday Wonder activity sheets on the Everyday Wonder page.