My wife had hip replacement surgery this last month. It was fairly significant with some very hopeful and positive outcomes. On the day of her surgery we arrived at the hospital in the early morning and she was taken in to a pre-op room where she met with various people and certain aspects of the procedure were explained. Then she was wheeled off to the operation. I sat with a friend for several hours and finally was told she would be arriving at her hospital room in the afternoon. When she finally arrived I was there waiting. She seemed somewhat alert and complained a bit about some pain, but generally she was in good shape. What she and I didn’t realize was that, due to the anesthesia, she would remain somewhat disoriented for the next twenty-four hours. It affected her memory, her focus and her stability. I found myself listening to the nurses, doctors, and other medical personal so that I could at some later moment assure her that they had seen her, spoken to her and given particular directions. It was fascinating to me and a bit frustrating to her. The strong drugs she had been given to address issues of pain during surgery had left her for a time slightly disoriented.

I was sitting alone reading my Bible the other day and I felt somewhat spiritually disoriented. I hadn’t taken any particular drugs to physically anesthetize myself, but I considered the possibility of the many ways I might be spiritually and emotionally anesthetizing myself. I realized I was struggling with the very same things with which my wife had physically struggled, yet in the spiritual realm; my spiritual memory, my spiritual focus and my spiritual stability/balance. I have sensed of late that things in my life of relationship with Jesus can drift into places of distance and disconnection. This can manifest itself in a spiritual disorientation and lack of direction.

The prophet Jeremiah in the book of Lamentations makes this comment:
“I remember my affliction and my wandering, the bitterness and the gall. I well remember them, and my soul is downcast within me. Yet this I call to mind and therefore I have hope: Because of the Lord’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. I say to myself, ‘The Lord is my portion; therefore I will wait for him.’” Lamentations 3:19-24

I can relate to these words of the prophet. I find myself at times in a state of disorientation, wandering about aimlessly, experiencing discouragement and hopelessness regarding this life. This disorientation can lead me to choices that are less than healthy and often feed the addictive parts of my personality. It is a rather dark place characterized by dark thoughts.

In these moments it seems that there is relief to be discovered in the reorientation of my focus. When I continue to focus on my perceptions regarding difficult circumstances, failed outcomes and unmet expectations I can become bitter and further disconnected from life. But, as Jeremiah explains, when I practice refocusing my thoughts upon God, hope is nurtured. It is a hope in the assurance of His great love, compassion and faithfulness that are experienced new every morning. The key is to watch for God and the ways He is sharing His goodness in the present moment. It is best, in the midst of disorientation, to pause to wait for the Lord who is my portion.

Press Pause Ministries is about practicing, and experiencing, the pause that allows us to wait for the Lord and partake of His love, compassion and daily faithfulness to restore and transform us. This kind of “practiced pause” allows us to move from the place of disorientation to the place of orienting all life around Jesus Christ, the center. From this place of reorientation we are guided into the next place of His grace and goodness, often disguised in ways that would surprise us, yet in ways that are always intended for our best by the One who loves us best.

As you move into this season and find yourself periodically disoriented let me encourage you to practice pause and reorient your focus upon the God who is for you and longs to guide you in the way of His transformative life. Truly great is His faithfulness!