Click above to listen to Wildflowers from Unveiled with piano, vocals and guitar. If you enjoy, consider purchasing the song, album download, or CD from iTunes or stantonlanier.com (where sheet music is also available).

What is your response to the phrase “do not be anxious about your life?”

I composed Wildflowers because It is easy to become preoccupied with worrying about all kinds of things. Slowing down and pausing to look at wildflowers in bloom can put things in perspective. The guitar and vocals join in to remind me I am not alone.

Last week I invested time with my family on vacation, and took a ten day rest from social media, blogging, etc. Below are 7 reasons I found it very beneficial to press the “pause” button…

1. Resting. Rest is vital for refreshment and productivity (for more on this, see my post Rest – Are You Receiving It?

2. Quality Time with Loved Ones. A walk on the beach with my wife, a bicycle ride with my daughter, a midnight photo shoot of lightning with my son. Priceless.

3. Being Instead of Doing. It is reviving to marvel at the wonder of creation — ocean waves, thunderstorms, warming sun, treasuring moments instead of checking off to do lists. I also have written a blog post about this: This Very Moment – Being vs Doing

4. Slowing the Pace. We are overloaded with information and activity from all directions. Periodically we need to slow life’s pace to renew our focus for running life’s race.

5. Enjoying a Hobby. I enjoy cooking and photography, so grilling a few dinners and taking lots of pictures were both therapeutic for my soul. I captured the wildflowers above off the southwest Florida coast.

6. Watching Sunsets. I love sunrises and sunsets. I have never regretted taking the time to watch. Either one is a symbol of grace, hope and faith that God is in control. When is the last time you took time to really take in a sunrise or a sunset?

7. Reducing Worry and Anxious Thoughts. Matthew 6:25 (ESV) says, “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on.” Pressing the “pause” button helps me keep things in perspective, to trust God for provision, and to count life’s blessings.

What is your #1 reason to press the pause button right now?

MATTHEW 6:25-34 (The Message)
25-26 “If you decide for God, living a life of God-worship, it follows that you don’t fuss about what’s on the table at mealtimes or whether the clothes in your closet are in fashion. There is far more to your life than the food you put in your stomach, more to your outer appearance than the clothes you hang on your body. Look at the birds, free and unfettered, not tied down to a job description, careless in the care of God. And you count far more to him than birds.

27-29 “Has anyone by fussing in front of the mirror ever gotten taller by so much as an inch? All this time and money wasted on fashion—do you think it makes that much difference? Instead of looking at the fashions, walk out into the fields and look at the wildflowers. They never primp or shop, but have you ever seen color and design quite like it? The ten best-dressed men and women in the country look shabby alongside them.

30-33 “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.

34 “Give your entire attention to what God is doing right now, and don’t get worked up about what may or may not happen tomorrow. God will help you deal with whatever hard things come up when the time comes.