Become Like the Little Children! RETREAT IS A MONTH AWAY!

Do you feel busy and distracted most of the time? 

Do you find it hard to have time and space to pause and remember who God says you are and how He is wildly in love with you? 

What if you had a day to come away and retreat with God?

A day to Pause and lay aside distractions and busyness and remember you are His Beloved Daughter!

What if this retreat day to pause could be a time of spiritual transformation? 

The Beloved Daughter Retreat is a month away on Saturday, August 2nd!! 

This is the theme song for the Beloved Daughter Retreat! 

Belovedness by Sarah Kroger!

I will also share some new things happening at Holy Pause! You won’t want to miss it. Registration is open until July 31st. Come and be a part! Invite a friend or friends! The retreat will be at my home in Nicholasville, KY. Lunch is provided and all allergies are accommodated. Please let us know on the registration form. Check out all the details at holypause.com. Reach out with any questions you might have: tracietack@gmail.com.

In the June Blog Post, https://www.holypause.com/post/don-t-miss-the-upcoming-beloved-daughter-retreat-in-august-slowing-down-this-summer, I invited us to reflect on this question. If you missed the last blog post, go back and join us in slowing down this summer. 

How will you begin to slow down this summer and make space for the things that matter most to you?

I thought I would share my list with you. I picked three things I wanted to focus on this summer as I slow down.

What matters most to me this summer?

• Leaving a margin in my schedule for GOD SURPRISES!

• Pausing to notice when I feel triggers in my emotions and actions.

• Making time to play and create and become like a little child. 

My Next Steps

• Leave open time blocks in my calendar for GOD SURPRISES!

• Take intentional pauses to invite the Holy Spirit to help me discover what is underneath the trigger. Am I seeing patterns? What is God inviting me to notice about them, and how will I move toward Him, which leads me to freedom and peace and more love?

• Spend intentional time with God in nature each week — hiking, walking, taking pictures of things I notice, journaling, worshiping, being with God. 

Making space requires us to say no to some things in order to say yes to those things God is inviting us to. I am praying for you as you make time for what matters most to you and God!  Maybe you want to share your list with a friend or create space to hold each other accountable on taking your next steps. Remember to show yourself grace along the way. It is a process. 

One of my favorite spots at our home is our back porch. It’s a space to be with God. This is a space that I welcome family, friends, clients, groups, and neighbors to come and be — be just as you are. It is a place of sharing stories; a place to rest, refuel, and pause amidst the busyness of life. It invites me to slow down. 

I love open spaces in nature. This is where the retreat is taking place! There will be space to have some time to be with God in nature. Time to replenish, receive, and rest. 

I hope you will mark your calendar and come for a day to retreat! 

Becoming a grandparent and watching my daughter, Brooke, become a mother to Ava has been the sweetest blessing this past month. We are all growing and becoming in this next season. Brooke will be joining me next month on the blog to share some honest reflections on becoming a mother! I hope you will join us.

As baby Ava entered the world, I paused to reflect on Jesus’ invitation to become like little children. He shared that the kingdom of heaven belongs to children, and He encourages us to become like them. Jesus himself came to us in the form of a little baby. 

Becoming is a process. 

The little seeds I planted in my flower garden are becoming. Hopefully, they’re becoming a beautiful flower. The process was quite messy. Yet, God is growing something beautiful. It’s much like the human birthing process.

I wonder sometimes if that is His desire for us... 

To show up in our mess and trust that He is doing something beautiful. Even on the days we want to run and hide. (Like some other people in the Bible.)

To pause and notice His presence in the midst of whatever life brings. Oh, this is my heartbeat and something I am learning. 

To bring the ups and downs. The messy. The things in life we don’t understand. Our questions. Our anger. Our disappointment. Our grief. 

Jesus met everyone right where they were.

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 

“Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”  Matthew 18:1-6 ESV

We learn so many things from little children. Being an elementary school teacher years ago and running a children’s program at my church, I’ve gotten a glimpse of why Jesus’ invitation was to become like the little children. Sweet Ava has recently started smiling. How precious is the smile of a new baby! She is beginning to notice things and people around her and express herself. Her sweet presence is a glimpse of heaven on earth. As we watch her learn and grow, I am reflecting on what we learn from little children and Jesus’ invitation to become like them.

Children are Completely Dependent.

They Completely Trust.

They Completely Experience the Depths of Love from their parents. 

Is there a situation in your life that you want to invite the LORD into? Are you ready to take next steps with your heart, body, mind, and soul to completely depend on, completely trust, and completely experience the depths of His Love?

Reflect for a moment on that situation.

This path with Jesus of dependency, trust, and love is the road that leads to freedom and love. He is trustworthy, dependent, and loving.

“For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life, and those who find it are few.” 

Matthew 7:14 ESV

Jesus reminds us that He desires for us to change and become like the little children. We are all becoming. This is why spiritual formation is so important. M. Robert Mulholland Jr. in "Invitation to a Journey defines spiritual formation as "the process of being formed in the image of Christ for the sake of others."

Our transformation is a process, and the power of a pause with God could change how we see ourselves, others, and God. When we pause, we take time to notice our thoughts, feelings, and actions. 

We show up just as we are and allow God to change us. We must allow Him the space. He is the only one that can change us and help us become. 

In allowing the Holy Spirit to work in our lives in the pause, we open ourselves to changing directions when needed. We start walking on the narrow path that leads to life. We allow the Spirit to help us change a thought or reaction. We make space for God to transform our thoughts, feelings, and actions into more of the image of Christ. 

Will you say YES to becoming like the little children? Remember it is not a place we arrive at. It is a journey to becoming. 

Completely Dependent on God. 

Completely Trusting God. 

Completely Experiencing the Depths of His Love.

Here is our Holy Pause Practice for the month.You can print this off and use it as you spend time with God reflecting and growing. We practice Pausing, Praying, and Following. May this bless you as you journey with Christ. You can also do it with a friend or group. 

Holy Pause… Pausing to notice what is going on in and around you. Jesus is with you. 

Take a deep breath. Slowly. Notice your thoughts. Notice your feelings. Notice if you are feeling any tension in your body. Spend as much time as you need pausing and noticing. Invite Jesus into the room where you are. Imagine Him sitting down beside you. Smiling. Delighting. Overjoyed to be with you today. He speaks your name softly. He says, “You are my Beloved Daughter!”  

Ask Him what He wants you to notice in your pause. You are making space to be with God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit — Three in One, Our Lord. 

Imagine being with Jesus on that particular day in Matthew 18. Imagine yourself in the scene. You are there. Imagine the little children there. 

“At that time the disciples came to Jesus and asked, 

“Who, then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?”  

He called a little child to him, and placed the child among them. 

And he said: “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven. 

Therefore, whoever takes the lowly position of this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. 

And whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me.”  

Matthew 18:1-6 ESV

What do you notice? Circle, underline, or highlight what stands out to you. Sit with that for a few minutes. Reflect with Jesus on what stands out.  

More Dependency in God?

More Trust in God?

Experiencing more of the depth of His Love?

Pray… Invite the Lord into a conversation.

Sit in silence for a few minutes with Jesus. Simply be with Him. Receive His love. 

Lord, you are inviting me to become and change for your glory. You welcome me as I am, but you don’t leave me there. You invite me on a journey with you. A new path. The Path of Freedom and Love. Help me to depend more, trust more, and experience more of your love. Remind me that I am your Beloved Daughter. Help me to share more of your love with those in my life. Thank you for welcoming me and inviting me on a deeper journey.  Help me become like the little children. I love you! Thank you for loving and welcoming me!

Follow… Help me go where you go. What are God’s invitations to you? Where do you notice Him inviting you to follow Him? Maybe you need to be reminded how much He loves you. 

Say YES to where He is leading you! Don’t let fear keep you from following. His perfect love casts out fear!

Remember to sign up for the retreat! I hope to see you there! holypause.com

Experiencing God in the Pause,

Tracie Tackett

Spiritual Director/ Life Coach 

Invitations to a holy pause~https://www.holypause.com