Good morning…
In our therapeutic community group downtown, the leader shared a quote from Victor Frankl, the author of the book we are discussing on Sunday afternoons, Man’s Search for Meaning. “Between stimulus and response,” she quoted Frankl, “there is a space.”
“Expand that space and invite the Holy Spirit into it,” she encouraged us. “Pause. Breathe. Expand.”
This we can do, my friends, any time of day or night. When we are roused by a stimulus – something that incites a reaction – we do not have to respond right away. We can intentionally expand the space between experiencing something …and… responding.
Pause.
Breathe.
Expand.
Invite the Holy Spirit in.
Later she offered another nugget of wisdom. “Be an empathetic speaker and a generous listener.” Empathetic speakers and generous listeners practice the art of pausing. Breathing. Expanding space. Inviting the Holy Spirit into the moment.
Scripture explains it this way. Think long; think hard. When you are angry, don’t let it carry you into sin. When night comes, in calm be silent. [pause] (Psalm 4:4, VOICE).
What blessings do you sense in this Victor Frankl quote? “Between stimulus and response, there is a space.”
…Sue…
