SELAH

I was just telling Sarah on the phone last night that I needed a pause sometime soon. "I think I wanna pause and rethink so I can make some minor but intentional decisions about how to posture my learning. I need to selah." "Oh, totally! Selah's good." "Most likely Friday." "Sounds great!"

Praise the LORD, O my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.

Earlier in the afternoon before that conversation, I had just spent some time thinking with Jesus, when I was reminded of Psalm 103...

Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits -

It hit me. Since I got here in June 'til now, with trainings and a trip to Asia and back, I had not fallen sick. Not a hint of flu or whatever. So thankfulness just welled up inside of me...I don't wanna take good health for granted. I'm so thankful that I'm healthy and alive :)

who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,

I had such a good chat with my fam on Skype yesterday morning. It was super-early and I was like a dead fish at 7am, but it was so good. Don't you just love technology? So I got to see Tipper (my sis' lil puppy) and call out to him over the internet and watch him perk up his ears. Been catching up with lots more people on a more consistent basis. Not regular, just more consistent. Those of you who haven't replied my emails, it's ok, I forgive you. Just like you forgave me.

who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion, 

From one of my classes, our study of leadership in the Bible focuses on 2 particular persons: Habakkuk and Nehemiah. It occurred to me that selah shows up in Habakkuk's 3rd chapter a remarkable number of times - 3 times in just that chapter! So imagine : Praise. Pause. Praise. Pause. Praise. Pause. Praise.

(If you have two kids, it'd be fun to name one Praise and the other Pause. You can get some worship rhythm goin)

God takes you through awesome moments, but He also shapes you through narrow circumstances. Even when you can't see any good in your life, even when you question God's solution to your prayers, even when all the trees around you wither up and die and bear no fruit.

who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

Habakkuk struggled with God, we see that in Chapters 1-2. But come to Chapter 3, it's almost like a different person. Hmm...maybe he WAS, huh? Maybe a different perspective (yours vs God's) shapes you to become a different person (your you vs God's you). Like, you go through a narrow place and you get squeezed out of shape and come out from the other end looking different. More importantly, the change happens inside. Your substance becomes strained and strengthened and you squeeze through SOARING...like an eagle.

So, from meditating on 103 yesterday and thinking when my selah will be, today's chapel (every Wed 10am) introduced a very mindblowing word. Yup, you guessed it. SELAH.

No way!

And THEN the chaplain says, "Let's meditate on Psalm 103 together."

My heart skipped a beat.

Daddy God, you set me up.

Nice one.

I get the message.