When did you last take time to simply be still? Can you remember what it felt like?
John Eldridge recently wrote in a newsletter about how much our soul needs stillness often, space to simply be without asking it to do anything else (not praying, making lists of things to do, not worrying about others), but simply giving it space to simply be still.
His words gave me pause as I realize how seldom I have allowed for that time apart from a vacation. My days and likely your days are often filled with doing the business of living and sometimes the busyness of ministry. We have jobs, homes and possessions to care for, relationships to tend to, hobbies to schedule, and meetings and ministry responsibilities at church to cover. Hopefully, we spend a few minutes in devotional time to read and pray, but are we truly allowing ourselves even five minutes in a day to be still and allow our souls to rest and be refreshed?
Why do we resist? There can be many reasons most of us can name, but they likely fail to get to the core of our forgetfulness of the temporary nature of life on this planet and that we are eternal beings and yet so finite.
When I take time to be still, I can sense an inward sigh of letting go and from that a refreshing peace and internal stillness that restores my soul as little else can. Such times also reawaken my awareness of the beauty around me that I can easily miss in my busyness or in the headlines of the day, which remind me of the horrible war in the visible and invisible world I live in. That beauty whether in music, the blue of the sky, the lilac in my garden that is about to bloom, or a photograph I love, reminds me of God’s presence with me no matter what the headlines may say or what assault the enemy may make upon my mind.
Consider this and take time today to be still, to see beauty around you. Perhaps you will also hear a repeating echo whispering to you that gives you exactly what you need. Value stillness and beauty for how God uses them to sense His presence, to refresh, restore, and heal your soul!
Pastor Pam,
This is an admonishment
well taken today. Real stillness seems to be edged out by the seemingly nonending senseless tragedies on a daily basis but even in the midst of it all -a rainbow appears, a rose blooms and birds do sing. My prayer for me today is Lord help me to practice stillness; busyness is automatic.
Hi Pam Pam,
This piece is beautiful! Because of this post, I have given myself the Gift of Stillness and it is incredible! Thank you!
Hey Grandma! This piece here is pretty thought-provoking. The idea of stillness is both useful and necessary for walking with God, for pursuing our daily work, and for doing anything creative…but we often flinch from standing still. Thanks for the helpful reminder here!