Be Still and Know...

So, last week I talked about My Secret Place. For those of you that read it...no…I was not in my feelings or anything like that, but only describing how great my experience was when God found me in the middle of the wilderness.  Likewise, this week, I want to write a little more about what I learned in that place, and how God moves and what to do when it happens. It’s actually quite simple. Just. Be. Still. (Psalm 46)

For so many of us [or maybe just me] it is truly difficult to enjoy the art of being. In the age of doing and thinking, we forget to enjoy the journey; take in the laughter; celebrate in the sunshine; acknowledge the fact that trouble don’t last always; and remember to smile. Technology may be part of this problem, but in the end, we just get caught up with the next thing on our ever increasing to-do list.

I remember a time when I was taking classes at the University of Memphis after Hurricane Katrina took me away from my Fair Dillard in New Orleans, LA. If I remember the slogan correctly, Memphis said they were a school of “doers and thinkers”. What struck me as odd was the fact be-ing, was nowhere to be found, and while it made perfect sense to leave that out of a school slogan, I knew there was a message I had to learn. In fact, I am so perfectly punctual, proficient, and powerful at the job of doing and thinking that I do the most [yet I do accomplish EVERYTHING] and I think things through so well that time sometimes passes me by.

While it is wise to think things through before you act, and we should likewise celebrate when we are actively and passionately doing everything we can to succeed, it is important we do not forget to be in the midst of it all. The art of being is a difficult task to take up at times with so many distractions. Nevertheless, it is an extremely critical part of the journey we must come to make amends with if we are anticipating direction toward our eventual destination. In the age of social media, name it and claim it, and plain impatience, this lost art form has many students that do not remember its teachings until it is too late. However, the psalmist got it right, and heard God through cries of pain, terror, anguish, worry, and heartache. Be. Still. Know. I. Am. God. I actually have a friend that tattooed this to her arm. This was not a faddish fashion statement, nor was it something done on a whim. This was to be a constant reminder that “all things work together for the good of them that serve the Lord…” and that the one who formed us will never leave us, nor forsake us.

At times, I have to remind myself this…I even thought about copying her genius and getting it permanently inked.  But as the seasons change outside and the weather breaks, [staunchly represented with my allergies kicking up] I also have to remember that God moves in seasons, as well. The songwriter said, “He may not come when you want Him…But He’ll be there right on time!”. Granted, the masculine form of God is not my own picking, but whatever the case, I understand God to be on time…no matter what! My job is to be still and acknowledge the fact that I cannot “do” my way out, nor can I “think” my way out. So, instead of wasting my time; bringing about more heartache; and working myself into an unworkable situation, I sit back and force myself to relax. For in the midst of my prayers, cries, supplication, doubt, faith, worry, trust, insecurity, and belief in knowing that my God speaks…I can YET Be. Still. And. Know.