Learning to be Still

Be still and know that I am God.

Be still and know that I AM.

Be still and know.

Be still.

Be. 

I’m not an expert in being still.  It’s not how I’m made. 

Back in my seminary days I received a challenging assignment for one of my classes: spend an hour silently and prayerfully meditating on a few verses of Scripture.  Many of my classmates reveled the in the opportunity to be still with God.  I went nuts.  It took all my energy to sit still long enough and keep focused. 

Some people find joy and contentment when they have an opportunity to be alone.  They crave those moments when they can quietly reflect on life and faith.   They prefer to spend time with God with reading and contemplating.  That's not me!

I find joy and contentment when I’m with people…when I’m where the action is.  I crave those moments when I can creatively run ideas past other people.  I prefer to spend time with God in groups: discussing and talking things through.   I love it when there’s a lot going on.  In fact, when there’s not a lot going on I tend to come up with NEW things!

Sometimes, though, I hit my limit.  As the calendar rolled into 2012 even I felt overwhelmed.  With all the building issues of 2011, a lot of things got put off until ‘after the New Year.’  Not surprisingly, as I sat in the office on January 3^rd I looked at all the activities that needed to be planned and I thought, “How in the WORLD will this ever get done?!”  Budgets…classes…council planning…family ministry planning…confirmation….first communion…end of year reports…ufdah!  Add in all the annual reports that I need to do in my role as Synod Mission director and a slight sense of panic set in.  I flitted from one task to the next, never really getting much of anything done.  I struggled to focus.  It takes a lot to overwhelm me…but in that moment I felt overwhelmed.

People like me still need to hear the words of Psalm 46, “Be still and know that I am God.”  I needed to set aside the to-do list for a moment and talk to God.  I needed to take a deep breath and recognize that God didn’t call me to be the savior of the world…Jesus had that covered!  I simply needed to be a faithful servant. 

Once I got my mind to slow down a bit I jumped into the many tasks with relish.  It’s awesome to be a part of a congregation where so many exciting things are happening.

In the midst of the crazy life that I crave, Jesus still calls me to moments of stillness.  I’ll never be one to meditate for hours on end, but a few moments a day with my savior help me keep life in perspective.  For me, 5 minutes of calm prayer at the beginning of the day goes a long way towards helping me focus on the God who gives me strength. 

How does God call you to be still in your life?