I’ve always had a hard time sitting still. I loved to sit on my grandpa Broadway’s lap when I was little. He was a big teddy bear of a man, and I did a great job being still….for about 30 seconds….and then the fidgeting would begin. He was patient, but inevitably he would say, “Will you sit still?!?!” And I tried. I just couldn’t. So I’d have to get down.
Even now…I have a hard time sitting still. You can watch me at church, I fidget. I cross and uncross my legs. I shift in my seat. At home, my favorite places to sit are the rocking chair and the porch swing. Constant motion.
May is always a crazy month around here with track meets, end-of-the-year school events, homework and church stuff….it’s probably a good thing I can’t sit still because I don’t get to do that much in the month of May. It’s one of those months you kind of rush through some things because you have so much to get done. Have you ever rushed through your prayer time? Rushed through your Bible reading to “get it done” and not understand a single word? Hello….Been there done that!
But the recurring theme in my heart the past couple weeks has been, “Be still.”
Be still? Really? My first thought was, “Now? You want me to be still now? Don’t You see all that has to get done? I can be still if You add more hours to my day!”
“Be still, and know that I am God!” (Psalms 46:10 NLT)
Still means to slacken, to cease, to be idle.
Know means to ascertain by seeing.
Then I took a look at that scripture again, substituting the words:
Slacken and cease from your efforts and be idle and you will ascertain by seeing that I am God! (Psalm 46:10 Toni’s translation)
And then I thought of a couple things that I want to ascertain by seeing. Some things I’ve been seeking His face about. Some things I’m standing in faith for and I really want that faith to be made sight. And my heart quickened.
And I found that instead of rushing through my Bible reading or quiet time, I was rushing through the laundry (I have a pile of socks that need folded and clothes sitting in the dryer). I was letting the dishes sit…and don’t even talk to me about dust. It’s an inch thick over here I think. I wasn’t stressing to make a huge meal every day. I wanted to be still.
My kids aren’t going to remember 5 years from now if my house was dusty all through May of 2014. No one is going to remember if we had spaghetti and meatballs 3 times this week because it was easy or if we ate cereal for dinner a time or two. Nobody is going to remember if I had their laundry put away or if they had to grab it out of baskets.
But they will remember if I stressed my way through May or if I was still and let Him help me. They’ll be able to tell if I took the time to ascertain by seeing that He is God. You can’t show Him, even to your family….or should I say especially to your family, if you don’t take the time to know Him. To see Him. To hear Him. To crawl up in His lap and be still.
Sometimes you have to make choices to make the time to be still…especially in the middle of Crazy May…..so I will probably not post much here in the next couple of weeks. I’m going to cut some things out so I can still have time to be still (and to sleep…sleep is important. LOL).
I want to hear everything He has to share. I’ve heard it said (and I’ve said it myself), “In the stillness He speaks.” I think He’s always speaking….maybe we just can’t hear Him. It’s in the stillness we hear Him.
My heart has heard you say, “Come and talk with me.”
And my heart responds, “Lord, I am coming.” (Psalm 27:8)