Just be still.....

           Being still is very hard for me. I like to go. I get great enjoyment out of movement....the DOING of something...anything....as long as it is doing....so when the Holy Spirit told me to be still....it was and IS hard. I don't do "still" very well...but I am learning that there is great value in the stillness of a body, a heart, a mind. When I am constantly going, my mind is always racing ahead to what is the next thing and many times I miss the current. In Psalms 37:7 it tells me to ," Be still before the Lord and wait for Him to act...." and for this season in my life that is exactly what He is wanting me to do. I am needing to learn how to just," be still". It sounds easy but stop for a minute and think about the last time you were just really still....listening....waiting....on the Lord. Your mind wasn't thinking ahead to the problems and worries of life or your body wasn't sitting in exhaustion or rearing to go. You were just being still. It's HARD to be still in today's world!

      We are not a "still" nation. Everything is go faster, get there quicker, hurry, hurry, hurry! And we are teaching that to our children. I am probably one of the worse....but God has really taken this crazy season in my life to teach me how to be still. We can have so many things on our plates...good, godly things...things that serve people and help others and "look" so good!....but they have us exhausted, burdened, stressed, and full of everything BUT joy. And so for this season, God has spoke very clearly to me about being quiet....still....and return to the simple things in life. These things for me are stuff like driving down a dirt road with the windows rolled down at dusk....dancing in the rain...laughing out loud when my daughters are silly, sitting at a table with my family for supper, playing a board game with family that last late into the night, kneeling at my bed with my tiny daughter and talking to Jesus. I somehow got so busy doing "good" things that I lost who God created me to be. He did not create me to be so busy that I fall into bed each night wondering where the day went and how the to-do list is still so long. He created me with a passion for lightning bugs and writing, for climbing in trees and walking down dirt roads, for hanging clothes on a clothes line and listening to horses play in the pasture....these are things that HE put in my heart that bring me joy. And I lost all of that....because the world...even the church...tells me to be busy. It tells me to do more, serve better, and always be on the go. And that is not the legacy I want to leave behind for my daughters. Serving is a beautiful thing. It is one of my greatest love languages....but God is teaching me that there is so much I still need to learn about just being still. It is the balance of the serving and the stillness that fills our heart with joy! What joy He has for us in sitting up late at night and watching stars! What joy He gives us in the sound of birds singing or in the  seeing the colors of flowers blooming! What beauty there is in watching rain fall from the sky or the morning sun peek over the treetops. I don't want to miss any of these things! I want to take this time He has given me and I want to soak up every single lesson He is teaching me about just being still and waiting on Him to act. I want to teach my daughters how to slow time down by being fully in each moment. I want to watch my husbands eyes as he tells me what God is teaching him and I want to savor the sounds of giggles and loud singing...sigh....I just want to "be still".

       I know I have alot to learn about this, but that's ok. I have the time. I don't have to let the world tell me how busy to be and I don't have to gain value or worth by all my "good deeds"....its ok for me to stop. serve my family. love my God with all my heart, soul, and mind. and...be still. I may not always be in this season of being still....but I am so grateful for it right now. I pray that it becomes a way of life for me. I hear and see so many things that I have missed out on in the past because I was rushing and hurrying to get to the next place I " needed" to serve and help at. So if you are weary, exhausted, and feeling like it is more about surviving then thriving....I understand. I have been there more often than not....and I encourage you to take a minute and breathe deeply. Hold it and count to three....then let it out slowly....and look around you and really SEE what is going on around you. Maybe you just need to grab your husbands hand and tell him you love him. Maybe you need to stop your child and just hold them in your arms for a minute. Maybe you need to cancel the days' activities and instead just "be" with each other. Don't be afraid of being still. It isn't as bad as you think....in fact...it is something that your heart is craving.