STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN!

Listening to the rustle of the leaves blowing in the wind, birds chirping, singing songs, and calling back and forth, and a woodpecker pecking on the tree... watching birds search for worms, chipmunks and squirrels running about, and butterflies fluttering by... These are all things that I miss, if I don't take the time to be still. When I am still I get to enjoy this peace and calmness that is there when you slow down and sit in God's presence.

This past week or so it has been brought to my attention through a couple conversations that being still is something that I struggle with. This is not new to me but I do find it harder here in the States being surrounded by so many distractions. It is easy to get caught up in what you are doing and think that you just don't have time to be still. One of the reasons I wanted to go on the mission trip I took this past year, was to get away from all the distractions. Yes, I got away from cell phones, television, and easy access to internet but there are always things that we can fill our time with.

It is hard for me to be still. Why? I'm not sure. I am a person that likes to DO things. I am a DOER. On my trip, I injured my knee and it slowed me down a little bit, but it didn't stop me. I kept right on with ministry and most things that my teammates were doing. It wasn't until 6 weeks later, when my knee was still hurting and my teammate telling me I needed to stay in bed, that I took time out of ministry to rest and be still. Even then it was still hard. Others were out working and I knew they needed more help, yet I couldn't do it. In talking with a fellow squad-mate at that time, I realized that part of it is that I defined myself by what I did/ do. I had to redefine how I viewed myself – to see myself as God created me, not by what I do.

Being back at home, I am doing “nothing”. I am not working. I am not going to school. I am 27 and living in my parents’ basement. I have to remind myself that I am NOT and will not become the stereotype of someone who is living in their parent’s basement and doing nothing with their life. That is not me but I guess that is my fear of how people will view me if I don't start doing something “productive” with my life soon. Although I struggle with fear of what people think of me, my fear of God has become greater and I want to listen to Him. I do not want to jump into getting a job and  a car to live my life the way that society sees fit unless I know that is what God's plan is. Right now, God has not revealed a “long-term” plan to me and I don't know that He will. Take Abraham for instance... God told him to go and he went... he didn't know where he was going or any of the details but he went. I know certain things God wants me to do and steps He wants me to take but other than that I don't know and I trust Him to reveal what I need to know when I need to know it.

One thing I do know is that God has been reminding me to “be still.” There are several places that God commands us to “be still”:

Psalm 46:10a “Be still and know that I am God.”

Zechariah 2:13 “Be still before the Lord, all mankind, because He has raised himself from his holy dwelling.”

Habakkuk 2:20 “But the Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

Zephaniah 1:7a “Be silent before the sovereign Lord.”

To be still means to be silent and idle. It sounds so simple yet this is so hard to do! It is so important. This is when we sit in God's presence and allow Him to speak to us. Not that He isn't speaking when we are busying “doing” but we can't hear Him with all the noise of this world. God often times speaks in a gentle whisper like in I Kings 19:9-18 with Elijah. If we don't stop and get away from the noise and quiet our minds, we will miss what God is saying. Do we really want to hear Him? Then we need to make time for Him! We need to make time for Him every day – it could be 5 minutes, it could be an hour, it could be longer. I don't know. Everyone is different and every day is different. I don't have this all figured out. One of my friends was telling me about a guy who spent 25 years in solitude! (I'm not saying that we are called to do that but if we say we put God first, shouldn't that be our desire? To spend time with Him....)

I know this but like I said, it is still hard for me to be still even though I'm not working or going to school. I have a to-do list that seems to keep growing even though I'm crossing things off. I have a list of books people have told me I should read and that keeps growing. I have so many things I need to do and could do in my time. Yet what I keep being reminded of is the NEED to be still. I have learned that the main things in life are to love God and love people. That is my purpose. I say that, but it is harder to live it. I want to sit and spend time with God. Why is it so hard? In reflecting on this, I have realized that besides all the distractions, society ingrains in us that we need to be DOING something. We go to school; we get a job, etc. It is expected that we DO something. The questions people ask - “What are you DOING now?”, “So, what's next?”, “What did you DO today?” - all reflect that. And that is what is modeled for us. It is hard to go against the grain but God calls us, as Christians, to be “in the world but not of the world.”

 And so as I am learning, I encourage you to STOP, LOOK, and LISTEN...  Stop everything that you are doing and give God your time. Sit in His presence and know that he is God. Acknowledge Him and look around you. See His beauty!

                                 Can you see the rainbow? It is small and faint but it is there.

Listen for His voice. What is He telling you? He is speaking; are you listening?