There are moments that we choose…there are moments that choose us. When we get to choose…we choose those things that come most natural to us. If we are “Type A” we will go and go and go. If we are Type B we might rather take things a bit more slowly, roll with the punches. There are moments that force us out of what is most typical for us. The “Type A” person is forced to slow down. The Type B person is forced to speed up. In both instances, there are circumstances and situations that put us in a position we don’t normally find ourselves and from that position comes the opportunity to learn things we wouldn’t typically be in a position to learn. Maybe it is an illness that knocks the Type A person off their feet for an extended period of time or a time of crisis that calls a Type B person to take charge. When you find yourself in a new position or situation, which can often be quite uncomfortable as it is not something that comes natural to us, we have a very real opportunity to learn lessons that we might not otherwise learn.
Our world that values productivity. Productivity usually involves motion…busyness, etc. We drive ourselves crazy with too many obligations and too many expectations. What if there is a better way? One of the positions we rarely find ourselves in is the position of stillness. When was the last time you felt truly still, at peace…not hurried or rushed…fully enjoying each moment as they came? Why is it that we make our lives so busy and rushed and full of things all of the time…even more things than we honestly have time for?
What if God’s economy didn’t work that way? What if God had another way of going about things that was backwards to all that comes natural to us…and worked! Not “worked” in the normal sense that we gain producing more stuff…but worked in the most important way – soul work.
We know there is value in stillness and yet somehow it eludes us. It eludes us because we don’t typically choose stillness. We don’t choose stillness because it is easier to be busy. Here is the irony. It takes less energy to be busy than to be still. When you are in busy mode, everything is a yes…it is much easier to say yes than to evaluate things and say no. When you are busy, you expend a lot of energy but it is an easy kind of energy to expend and replenish…physical exertion. When you are still there is another type of energy that is needed. When your body is still your mind is at work and it has margin to work in areas that normally go untouched or unnoticed but are vitally important to our well being. It is easy to miss these areas when you are busy but hard to miss them when you are still. This is emotional energy, spiritual energy…the kind of energy that we often just want to avoid using because it is very hard to recover it once it is spent. It is hard to recover because many of us don’t have the foundation and the spiritual support to get our cups filled back up. So we find it easier to just stay busy and keep those deeper areas of our hearts and lives pushed down. Much damage is done in the process.
So find some time to be still. You will probably have to actually put it on the schedule to block out the time! Give God your full attention. Attend to heart issues that need to be attended to that aren’t obvious among all the noise of life. You will be glad you did!
