“Selah is found in the Hebrew Bible seventy-four times. Scholars believe that when it appears in the text, it is a direction to the reader to stop reading and be still for a moment, because the previous idea is important enough to consider deeply. The poetry in scripture is meant to transform, and the scribes knew that change begins through reading but can be completed only in quiet contemplation. Selah appears in Hebrew music, too. It’s believed to be a signal to the music director to silence the choir for a long moment, to hold space between notes. The silence, of course, is when the music sinks in.”

― Glennon Doyle, Untamed.

I always love the idea that space/silence is as important as words/sounds. No matter how beautifully written, words need space between them. The music too always has a rest mark here and there. The silence emphasizes the importance of words, the pause gives a meaning, that’s why when we read and we pause at the wrong place, we may not grasp fully the meaning of a sentence.

I need to remind myself to take time to pause, to be still, to take a moment in silence, so I could fully understand. Yesterday I was in bad temper, and I forget to take a pause. I just keep drowning myself in words, sounds, endless thoughts, and I feel extremely tired at the end of the day, I rested but not feel calm afterward, I failed to understand because I did not pause in the right place.

Remember to pause, to breath-in and to breath out. When everything feels overwhelming, and we cannot fully understand, it’s a clear sign to take a moment in silence.

Cheers,

Karin Sabrina