Paris, Crowds, and the Art of Pausing
WELCOME to Issue #261 of The Seedhead from Alex and Hannah at Dandelion Resourcing
- a weekly confidence booster to help you step into naturally supernatural discipleship and mission!
Step out of the crowd and experience God’s peace
This summer, while on vacation, I found myself remembering a moment from a previous trip. We'd just come from visiting family in the UK, and on our way home, we made a stop in Paris.
One morning, we climbed up to Montmartre and walked towards the magnificent Sacré-Cœur. From its steps, the view was gorgeous - all of Paris spread out below. The surrounding atmosphere was buzzing: tourists everywhere, languages mixing together, someone playing the accordion nearby.
But inside, it was a different story. We were immediately swept into a long, slow-moving line of visitors. This living stream of people wound its way around the perimeter, everyone moving in the same direction, circling the sanctuary’s edges in silence, taking photos and admiring the art and architecture. If you look carefully, you can actually just about see the procession of people on the left and right of our photo.
We were part of the crowd, but we had a different desire: we wanted to step out of the current and sit for a moment in the center, in the quiet of the pews, to linger and take in the surroundings, to stop moving and start noticing, to look for God's presence.
Getting there was surprisingly a struggle. It took a real effort to break free from the flow of people and find a quiet spot in the middle. But we made it!
As we sat there, watching the endless stream of visitors shuffle past, continuing their loop, a thought hit me. This is exactly what our spiritual lives can feel like. So often, we get caught up in the pace of life, the expectations of others, and the habits of the crowd. We go through the motions, attending services or saying a quick prayer, but we never truly stop. We let the current sweep us along without ever taking the time to linger, to listen, and to simply be present. How often do we make the effort to break away from the crowd to actually sit and linger, to dial in, to say “God, here I am. Please speak and show me what you’re doing.”
It takes effort to step out of that current. It takes a conscious decision to pause, to put down our phones and eliminate distractions; to quiet our minds.
So my challenge to each one of us is to do just that in the next few days. Carve out some time to stop.
Next Steps
Here are some ideas to try out.
Find a moment of stillness
Have a notebook and pen at your side
Maybe there’s some worship music in the background, or something visual to look at
Then say “God, here I am. Calm my mind and heart and speak.”
Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Jeremiah 6:16 “Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls.”
Let us know how you get on.
With love,
Alex + Hannah
ALEX AND HANNAH ABSALOM
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