Pause

Last Sunday morning, I took part in a spirited discussion of Dancing in the Darkness: Spiritual Lessons for Thriving in Turbulent Times. Our class focused on the second chapter of this thought-provoking book by Dr. Otis Moss III. The chapter title alone - “Consecrate Your Chaos” - would have been enough to jumpstart an animated conversation.

Moss explains: “To consecrate is to make holy, to put it into service for good. In consecrating chaos, you engage it, tame it, name it, take what seemed out of control and charge it with a duty.” Tell me more!

To illustrate ways we can consecrate chaos in our daily lives, Moss chooses three ordinary scenarios: a pickup basketball game, a walk downtown, and a visit to a museum. In each situation, the key to consecrating chaos is to pause. Moss observes: “You have to pause to see beauty that reveals possibility, and it won’t be wearing a nametag marked SOLUTION. But it will look surprising and good. Where there seemed to be only disorder, mess, uselessness, you see a way to make things a little more as you hoped they could be, not just the chaos they were.”

As we reflected on Moss’s illustrations, a class member added another example, sharing an unforgettable story that I have carried with me all week. A young man was preparing to move cross-country to attend seminary. The U-Haul truck was filled to the brim. Then he spotted a forgotten basketball.

When this soon-to-be seminarian realized there was no room for the ball in the back of the truck, the internal chaos he had attempted to constrain broke loose. As he slammed the basketball on the ground, all of his fears poured out, his anxiety overflowed. He ranted. He raved. What was he thinking, moving across the country to attend seminary? This was a very bad idea. That overlooked basketball embodied his inner emotional turmoil.

Cue the pause. A friend who had been watching this drama unfold mercifully intervened. Without fanfare, the friend deflated the basketball and slipped it into a small gap among the belongings stowed in the back of the truck. “You can inflate it when you get to California.”

That pause in the action was enough to reorient the young man. The deflation of the basketball defused the tension. He took a deep breath. His lungs rhythmically inflated and deflated. He would go to California. The basketball would travel with him. His fears and anxieties would also accompany him on his journey, but now they seemed more manageable. Because he paused, he could proceed.

The image of that deflated basketball continues to loom large in my imagination. How many times would my decision-making have benefitted from a pause? What words would have remained unspoken? What actions would have been adjusted? How can consecrate the chaos in my life on this day?

In my work as a spiritual companion, I provide clients with the chance to pause and consecrate the chaos in their lives. When a client shares her sacred story, we can name and engage the chaos. With the Spirit’s help, we can “see beauty that reveals possibility,” as Moss suggests. Together, we can find a way forward.

The next time you find yourself in an emotionally-charged moment, remember that deflated basketball and take a deep breath. This is a holy moment, pregnant with possibility. Pause before you proceed.

Invitation to Wonder: When has pausing helped you to gain perspective on a situation? How can you consecrate the chaos in your life?

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