This is not the first “pause” experienced by the Myers family. This is not the first time that Robyn and I have experienced a hard stop in our plans and patterns for life. Our other apocalyptic, “end of the world” moment came at the end of our senior year of college. It occurred right at the precipice of two major events in our lives, graduation and the birth of our first child. Interestingly enough, the timing was almost identical to our current “Great Pause.”
Throughout the beginning of Robyn’s pregnancy with our first child, her blood pressure had been moderately elevated. The doctors weren’t terribly concerned, but as a precaution, they provided me with a stethoscope and blood pressure cuff. They gave me a crash course on how to take her blood pressure, and instructed me to record her pressures daily and contact the office if there was a problem.
For several weeks, her blood pressure stayed in a normal range. Then one afternoon, Robyn came home from class early and said she didn’t feel well. I checked her pressure and the numbers were ridiculously high. I did the American thing and knocked on the gauge, tapped the stethoscope, and tried again. The reading was identical. I still doubted my ability as an amateur nurse, so I took Robyn with me on my way to class so she could see the campus nurse. I dropped her off and headed to class. About 15 minutes into class, the nurse entered the room and asked for me to be dismissed. On the way to her office, she confirmed that my readings had been correct. She instructed me to take Robyn to the hospital without any delay. Both Robyn and the baby were at risk.
We entered the hospital on March 25th shortly after noon. On that day, our world stopped. All of the projects, papers, and tests for the completion of my degree were secondary to the health and well-being of my wife and unborn daughter. The remainder of my collegiate career would be carried out remotely (mind you, this was before online learning was even a possibility). All of the interviews and job possibilities were put on hold as we attempted to navigate a very uncertain situation. We spent the next 101 days in hospital rooms, and while we missed a great deal during our pause, we can see the many gifts God gave us through that period of time.
There is never a good time for a pandemic, but if we take a moment to look objectively at our lives during this “Great Pause,” there are opportunities before us.
While the scope of our current situation is much greater (seeing as our first pause only really impacted our lives and this one has impacted the whole world) the lessons to be learned are similar. There is never a good time for a pandemic, but if we take a moment to look objectively at our lives during this “Great Pause,” there are opportunities before us.
The Pause provides us with a moment to catch our breath. During the final semester of my senior year of college, I was taking 28 credit hours, serving as a paid intern at a local church, interviewing for jobs in another state, and preparing for the arrival of our first child. The pace of life at that point in time was overwhelming. Our time in the hospital brought everything to a sudden stop. Though the situation surrounding us was less than ideal, it provided us with a season in which to rest.
The Pause provides time and space to adapt to new opportunities and obstacles. For Robyn and I, the pause allowed us to reorient ourselves from lives as newlywed college students to parents of a newborn. Through our time in the hospital, we were surrounded by amazing nurses and doctors who specialized in caring for mothers and babies. They walked us through our earliest days as parents. What seemed like a terrible obstacle in our life as a new family was, in truth, an amazing opportunity to learn new skills and make important life adjustments for the days before us.
“The Great Pause” has provided us with the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning in our lives, to remove that which is no longer of value to make space for that which is necessary for our new realities.
Similarly, “The Great Pause” has forced us to stop and rest. It has provided us with time and space to do some soul searching, to reflect on what truly matters most, and to adapt and adjust our patterns of living. “The Great Pause” has provided us with the opportunity to do a little spring cleaning in our lives, to remove that which is no longer of value to make space for that which is necessary for our new realities. It has not been an easy time, and there are still challenges ahead, but let us seek to take hold of the opportunities in the midst of these obstacles. Life certainly won’t be the same, but that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
