The Art of Stopping

A Path to Clarity and Purpose

If everything seems to be in a constant state of motion, that’s because it is. All is in constant movement. I don’t remember learning the depths of this in school and when Paul Martinelli taught me the Law of Perpetual Transmutation of Energy….well, some things started making sense.

Add to that the pure fact that everything is energy and we’re in a world driven by the need to be more productive (constant motion), it’s not hard to understand why things keep getting more complicated.

I’ll speak for myself…..I need to spend more time stopping. I need to spend more time just me still. I need to spend more time NOT taking more in.

Just being still

This year I’ve read a third of the new books, a forth of the number of new podcasts and half as many other new “intakes” as I have in any of the past 20 years. I have revisited a dozen books and other intakes, some a few times.

But still, my overall intake has been at least 1/2 less than previous recent years.

I’d like to say I’ve spent that time reflecting, being still, pausing, contemplating, and a bit of meditating on scripture. I’m not so sure.

Jesus said ‘follow me” at least 20 times (that’s recorded). Trevor Hudson is one of the authors/teachers I have camped out with this year and he invites his students to replace “follow” with “interact with.”

Im one lesson, Trevor told us when teaching his kids how to drive and he told them ”the most important thing about this car, is how to stop it.”

As I’m learning to interact with Jesus, I need to develop the art of stopping.

Stopping seems counterintuitive. Yet, it invites clarity, purpose, and alignment with what who we think we are and how we behave. Stopping challenges the prevailing notion that busyness equates to productivity. Like stopping a car, it brings a pause. It disrupts this autopilot mode of life I seem to be on.

I’ve been practicing this particular discipline for a few weeks and learning it is not about inactivity but about purposeful rest and reflection, much like the biblical principle of the Sabbath.

The scripture "be still, and know that I am God" reminds me that stopping allows for reconnection with God and the discernment of His will. Through moments of silence, hopefully, I gain clarity by quieting external noise and internal distractions. Isaiah 30:15 underscores the power of stopping not as a sign of weakness but as a source of strength.

Practically, stopping can be woven into daily life through short pauses for prayer, reflection, or mindfulness. I’m not finding a lot written about “stopping, and I’m not sure how it fits in to the normally taught biblical disciplines of solitude, silence, and meditation. Maybe it’s just a play on words.

And then I think…

”the most important thing about this car, is how to stop it.”

I suppose this art, or discipline, or whatever it is, can also take on different forms and purposes, some deeper than others. But I can’t help but believe that by prioritizing stopping, we could learn to foster a rhythm that reflects the divine design for work and rest, leading to a life that is not only productive but deeply meaningful.

To that end, let’s step back, reflect, and refocus. I’m betting I learn to better understand what really matters.

Danny