"Be still," says God! My response, "But God! I have so much to do and so many things I want to do!" Again, God says, "Be still my child." And again, I run to do the things I want to do. I get caught up in the chaos and the madness and the selfishness of what I want and not what God wants. God knows what is best for me. You would think I would have learned that by now! Actually, I have learned it, but it appears I have trouble applying it!
I know that God doesn't deliberately cause bad things to happen to us. I do believe however that he does "allow" things to happen to us. Seemingly in my life, those things happen to me when I am not listening to God telling me to slow down, pay more attention and BE STILL!
I have spent the last three weeks being "stiller" than I have been for quite some time! I am trying to be grateful for this down time that has been given me.
Given. To. Me. In an odd sort of way!
You see, it all started with our family getting a new puppy a little over three weeks ago. At 5 a.m. one morning that puppy needed to go out. I managed to miss a couple of steps going downstairs. The scenario that followed was not a pleasant one and the outcome is not so pleasant either! I managed to fracture my ankle and my foot and have been in a non-weight bearing cast since then. I guess God captured my attention. This is really not how I would have preferred he get it, but it worked. Needless to say, God and I have had an opportunity to spend a little more time together. He has made it known that he is God and he is good. (Of course I already knew that, but needed a reminder!)
I am seriously on the go 24-7, 7 days a week. If there isn't work, school, church or some extracurricular activity to attend, then I am looking for a trail to hike, mountain to climb or some way to totally enjoy the great outdoors. I truly love spending time with family and friends doing the things that I love ... outdoors. I do anything I can to make that happen and consequently my life is probably way more turbulent than it needs to be as I try to make things happen. I really think that is the bottom line that God is trying to get at for me! If I would simply be still and spend more time with Him, He will give me the pleasures I seek! In the right time. In His time!
Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. ~ Psalm 37:4
Being still truly is difficult for me. While some people would welcome the down time I have been given, (certainly not the fractures) I don't like this kind of down time! It truly is a difficulty for me. A trial. At the one week mark after my little accident, I had truly descended into a pit of despair and depression over my current state. I was totally enveloped in my own little pity party of emotions and had a few minutes to spare that morning while waiting for my sweet friend turned taxi driver to pick me up to go to work. (Thanks Jules!) Those extra minutes and tears of desperation led me to pick up one of my devotionals and turn it to that days devotion. "Come to me," it read, "and rest in my loving presence. You know that this day will bring difficulties, and you are trying to think your way through those trials." "As you anticipate what is ahead of you, you forget that I AM WITH YOU ~ now and always." (Sarah Young in Jesus Calling) This hit me like a ton of bricks! It's not that I forget He is with me, it's that I forget to let Him have control. I forget to rely on Him in my times of discouragement and dismay.
Do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go. ~ Joshua 1:9
As I sit on the back deck on this gorgeous 68 degree January day in Colorado, it is very clear to see our great God is all around us. His glory abounds in the warm rays of the sunshine, in the deep blue hues of the sky, in the puffy, white, heavenly clouds floating overhead, the chirping of the birds, and even in the yipping of that sweet little puppy in my back yard. Yes, the same one who is semi-responsible for the cast on my leg and foot! I am trying to be positive, because normally on a day like today, you would find me on a trail somewhere, hiking! I wouldn't be sitting on my back deck with my foot in the air! But, this is God's plan for me right now. I am still and am soaking up the glory of God all around me.
God is with me. God is with you. He is with each and every one of us. He is good and his blessings abound in a world gone mad with activity and craziness and an inability to slow down. He really asks so very little of us. So little of me. The least we can do is "be still" for a bit, retreat and revel in the glory of a great God who is abounding in love, grace and mercy.
Be still. Be still my child.
I. Am. Still.
