Cultivating the Heart: The Practice of Stopping

For our own good and the good of the people around us, we need to learn to stop at appropriate times.

We can't and shouldn't always be on the move. As human beings, we need to take breaks. We need to rest. We need to stop. If we don't stop and get appropriate rest, negative consequences will eventually occur to our physical health, our emotional wellbeing, and our relationships with people. A runner—even a professional one—can only run for so long before needing to stop.

The second practice I incorporate into my life to help cultivate my heart—my emotions and my relationships—is what I call The Practice of Stopping. For our own good and the good of the people around us, we need to learn to stop at appropriate times.

Here are some forms that The Practice of Stopping may take:

• Stopping for the day – Each day, we need to cease from all activity (work, meetings, hobbies, entertainment, etc.) in order to rest and sleep. If we don't get enough rest we're going to be too tired to engage in future physical activities. It's going to affect our mental and emotional state. And it's also going to impact the relationships we have. I try my very best to not engage in work-related activities in the evenings so that I can spend time with my family, commune with the Lord, and get ample rest. I also make sure to cease all activity completely to sleep at an appropriate time. These days, I try to sleep at 10 PM so that I can be up at 5 in the morning.

• Stopping for a day – We also need to learn to cease from specific activities for an entire day (a whole 24-hour period). This stoppage is usually applied to work in particular. We can't work for 7 days a week for a long period of time without it eventually affecting our emotional wellbeing and our relationships. At least once a week, we should stop working completely so that we can rest and enjoy other things in life such as being with family and friends, engaging in a hobby, and spending extra time with the Lord in prayer and worship. In the Bible, this 24-hour period where we stop from work and receive rest is referred to as the Sabbath.

• Stopping activities completely – Then there are things that we should consider stopping altogether. These might be activities that are no longer beneficial or enjoyable to us. Worse, they could be activities that move us away from the Lord, or drain us of our limited resources, or contribute to ongoing burnout. Of course, there are things that we don't necessarily enjoy but we have to do anyway (like household chores). But there are some things that we do that contribute so little to our lives and may even lead us to having poor physical, emotional, and spiritual health and strained relationships. These are the things that we need to seriously consider cutting out of our lives completely for our own good.

The Practice of Stopping is a vital practice that will help us manage our emotional health and grow our relationships with others. If we don't learn to stop at appropriate times, it will eventually affect us and the people around us. Cultivate your heart today by learning to intentionally stop at the right times.

Barnabas the Monastic

Servant of Christ. Husband. Dad. Modern Monastic. I have a wild ambition in life: get as close to the Lord Jesus Christ as I can while on earth. I explore and integrate ancient Christian monk wisdom in modern everyday life. Lives in Canada.