What If God ...?

04-26-2021

By Brenda Pogue

“What next?” This is the question that may be on the minds of many, especially with graduation just a few days away. After the completion of a major goal, it is a normal question to ask, but one that is not always so easy to answer. Some may think about the next level of education; others may think about the next career; still others may think about taking a long, deserved rest. Whatever is next, there is usually a moment of pause just before moving on to what is next. What we sometimes miss is that it is in the pause that the good happens.

Like the space that comes after the period of a sentence, let us remember to pause, to linger just long enough to let our minds take in one good thought before moving on to the next. As we rest in the in-between, we give ourselves the satisfaction of reveling in what we have just accomplished. We take the time to honor the work that our minds, or our hands, or our bodies have done. Whether it took years, days, or minutes, we should never diminish the accomplishment of goals by moving on too quickly to what is next without a pondering glance backwards. Consider where you began, but also recall the seed that was planted before you began. Consider the care you took to nurture the idea. Consider when you first saw the sprouts of your labor. Consider the difficulties or the ease. Consider the doubts and the affirmations. Consider every step along the way that got you to the point of asking, “what next?”

What if God had not taken the time to consider each stage of God’s work in creation? By pausing in between the now and the next, God looked over what God had accomplished in order to say that it was “good.” Should the same not apply to our accomplishments?

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash