Christian Living

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Pause And Refresh
© 2011

by

Stephen A. Peterson


For Captain Liz Doherty, it was one of those periods in her life and military career when everything seemed to be going wrong. Since the beginning of the month (ten days), she has had difficulty sleeping, loss of appetite and has had trouble dealing with members in her command. First Sergeant Bardash stated his opinion that Captain Doherty needed a couple of weeks of vacation as well as giving herself about 15 minutes or so each day to collect her thoughts.

“Thanks, stop! But down time? I’ve got a ton of stuff I’ve got to get done every day, top. You know that.”

“With all due respect, ma’am, you’re a darn good officer. I’ve got to say one of the very best! That said, I’ve also been around a while and I’ve seen a lot of really good officers go down because they never grabbed some time for themselves. And you’ve got to or you’ll go absolutely nuts, ma’am!”

“Thanks, top. Thanks for your concern. You don’t know how much I appreciate your words as well as your leadership for this company. But I’ll think about what you’ve told me.”

“Ma’am, I’d say don’t think about it too long. In the meantime, I’ll pray for you.”

Within two hours after her meeting with her First Sergeant, she received a telephone call from her husband. “Honey, Karen was sent to the hospital 15 minutes ago. They did not tell me what the problem is. Can you meet me over at the hospital or do you want me to come over there and get you.”

“No, no!” she stated nervously. “I’ll be okay. I’ll me over there in a few minutes. I’m on my way.”

Captain Doherty’s anxiety increased mostly because she did not know what had happened with her 11 year old daughter. When she arrived at the hospital, she and her husband were informed that the doctors wanted to run some test on their daughter to determine why she passed out at school. The doctor asked for a day or so to run tests. The couple gave their consent to run the test then signed the necessary forms.

Desperate for some relief, Captain Doherty decided to take her First Sergeant’s advice and give herself some down time. Remembering a marital arts class she took four years earlier, she decided to return once her daughter came back home from the hospital.

“I remember some of the principles I learned in that martial arts class. One of them is to relax. I’m going to pray more too.”

Leaving the hospital with her husband, she focused on a Scripture verse most calming to her: “My peace I leave with you, my peace I give to you” (John 14: 27). Captain Doherty repeated this verse over and over though concerned about her daughter’s well-being and being near tears.

A day passed. Now at the hospital, her seemed to jump out of her chest as the doctor walked down the hall towards the couple. Captain Doherty’s tension and anxiety eased in spite of their wait and the unreported news. She experienced a new calmness she had not known. When the doctor finally arrived, the Dohertys were told that their daughter was fine. He also explained that their daughter’s fainting spells were due to a nutritional inbalance. Though Tony and Liz Doherty did not realize it, their daughter was determined to suffer from anorexia.

Captain Doherty came to realize that her First Sergeant’s suggestion to pause and refresh and her daughter’s collapse were messages from God. She also came to realize that when she spent some time with God during the crisis, calm came to her.

If you’re in pain, worried, tense at this moment, pause, relax and seek Him this very moment!

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