Catching My Breath

By: Wendy Sanders

Thursday, October 2, 2025

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing. He makes me lie down in green pastures, he leads me beside quiet waters, he refreshes my soul. Psalm 23:1-3

Does it seem like your days, weeks, and months are squishing together? Mine are, and at times I can hardly catch my breath. Recently, I have felt like that more and more... The demands of work, family, and the approaching holidays are making it difficult for me to rest.

Then I heard a podcast on making space for silence & solitude. The thought of having a moment of silence and solitude sounded so good, it almost made me cry. Yes, I read my devotional each morning, I pray, and I listen to uplifting music in my car, but do I honestly set aside time to just be quiet? Do I intentionally take time to get away from the noise and distractions?

The podcaster said, “It took me a long time to realize solitude is not a personality trait. Solitude is not based on whether you're an introvert or an extrovert, and its not based on past trauma or current healing. Solitude is something God calls us to, and it's something He models. There are moments when we just need to be.”

Those words rang true! They reminded me there are moments in life where we just need to be quiet before our Heavenly Father. There are moments we just need to lie down in His green pasture and listen to the quiet waters. Moments of solitude help us "catch our breath" and wait on God's direction.

By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. Genesis 2:2

When Jesus had busy overwhelming days of ministry, He would withdraw to a quiet place and pray (Luke 5:15-16). If Jesus needed solitude, we do too! This week, I challenge you to set aside a few moments for solitude. Turn off the music, turn off the TV, and get away from any distractions. Then set a timer for 1 to 5 minutes and just be quiet. Your mind will try to occupy itself with everything you need to do, but you must take those thoughts captive and silence them.

It takes practice, but over time we can all learn to be silent. Those moments of solitude will help us hear God's voice clearer, the voice of our Creator, Savior and Friend.