Welcomed Pauses
Dericka Canada Cunningham, GBW Founder
October 5, 2026
This Week's Anchor
“Be patient, then, brothers and sisters, until the Lord’s coming. See how the farmer waits for the land to yield its valuable crop, patiently waiting for the autumn and spring rains.
You too, be patient and stand firm, because the Lord’s coming is near.”
James 5:7-8 (NIV)
While the crisp air and changing leaves invite spiced lattes, apple cider, and scarf-and-boot season for others, the transition from summer to autumn ushers in my husband’s annual preparation for the next grass season. By now, he’s become so obsessed with the fate of our yard’s grass growth that I’ve become intrigued by the process, too. As I watched him tirelessly prepare his precious grass this past week, I recalled an interesting and inspiring fact that I curiously discovered a few years ago about the green stuff we often take for granted. For years, I thought the life cycle of grass was quite simple: it grew in the Spring/Summer and, as evidenced by turning brown, died in the Fall/Winter. However, in my rabbit-hole Google search mission to understand grass, I learned that grass has a mechanism called dormancy, where it enters a suspended state in its life cycle and “focuses solely on conserving water, nutrients, and energy for survival”[1]. In some ways, like animals hibernating, grass sleeps during the colder months, which it otherwise wouldn't survive. And although it appears dead, the grass crowns (the base of the grass plant) stay alive. I don’t know about you, but I caught a Word in this unsuspecting metaphor because the ebbs and flows of our spiritually founded lives sometimes look and feel a lot like the life cycle of grass.
Have you ever found yourself in a dormant season? Let’s be honest: for many of us, seasons of pause are rarely welcomed. Most of us thrive on being booked and busy, and we derive value from achievement-oriented hustle and grind culture. However, whether we embrace it or not, God sometimes puts our lives on pause to preserve our minds and bodies, protect our spirits, and recharge our purpose. This week's anchor scripture reminds us of the patience and trust we need in God when we wait for seasons of yielding. It’s not that you wait because, frankly, we are all forced to wait in life. Instead, it’s how you wait. When God slows our lives down, do we meet it grudgingly or invite it in like a good friend who knows what’s best for us? I know it can be challenging because many of us are socialized in a culture of comparison and competition that leaves us feeling uncertain and insecure when our lives aren’t moving as fast as others. And yet, I encourage us that powerful and purposeful things happen when our lives are put on pause.
It's often a misconception that life’s pauses reflect God removing what we desire or what leads us to it. However, the opposite is true. Our dormant seasons of life can offer more than we expect if we shift our perspective.
What our Dormant Seasons Provide Us:
Necessary respite and the ability to be more present
Life’s pauses usually help us prioritize. When we pause, we can connect with ourselves and others. Being more present with ourselves helps us understand and transform ourselves.
Rest and self-care
When we are busy, we usually neglect ourselves. Therefore, God often gives us these pauses to call us back home to our mind-body-spirit. In these still moments, we can nourish and restore our bodily temples.
Conservation, preservation, and endurance
This race is not given to the swift but to those who endure. The greater war requires us to sustain through many life experiences, seasons, and battles. We can’t endure life at full throttle 24/7, 365 days a year, year after year. Rest isn't a detour from the process; it’s a necessary and crucial part of it.
Deeper connection with the Holy Trinity
When we slow down, we invite God’s presence and wisdom. We see glimpses of His provision in our lives and receive spiritual clarity.
Stronger foundation of faith and sense of purpose
By connecting with ourselves and the Holy Trinity, we feel more affirmed in our purpose and a more profound sense of meaning in our lives. Life feels just a bit more livable, and we feel like we, and our lives, matter. The more we pause and trust God amid our pauses, the more deeply we trust God overall.
As we enter this week, let us welcome every intermission, brief or long. May we trust that God knows what is best for us. May we reap the beauty and the benefits of having our lives paused. And may we invite, embrace, and appreciate the dormant seasons in our lives for how they ground us in what matters.
Reflection
What is resonating for you about this scripture and/or this devotion?
What do you need from yourself and from the Holy Trinity to help you sustain through dormant seasons?
What intention(s) do you want to set to connect and/or reconnect with being grounded this week?
Related Scriptures to Ground You Through This Week
Tuesday: Psalm 27:13-14
Wednesday: Psalm 46:10
Thursday: Proverbs 3:5-6
Friday: Isaiah 40:30-31
Saturday: Lamentations 3:25-26
Sunday: 2 Peter 3:9
My Through-the-Week Reflection Guide
A Song of Inspiration
Quote of Love & Liberation
“Breathe. Let go. And remind yourself that this very moment
is the only one you know you have for sure.”
Oprah Winfrey
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