Be Still
You may have noticed that I haven’t posted anything for a few weeks when initially I was posting every Sunday without fail. However, most of you probably didn’t notice, which only further proves the point I am about to make. There is so much noise in the world right now. Social media, news outlets, in person conversations, and even at night when you lay down your head in silence, still noise. You can’t scroll any social media without hearing a political opinion, a rant, or someone telling you what you should or shouldn’t be doing. Granted, some of these issues need to be talked about, I am not discounting any of that, I am simply stating a fact, there is a lot of information and opinions circulating the world today.
As of late, I have been tired of talking. That doesn’t mean I don’t care about the issues or that I am not taking my own action, but I am tired. It’s a safe bet to say we are all tired on some level, a soul level. Watching the news gives me anxiety, scrolling social media leaves me feeling empty and stressed. On top of that, I am working as diligently as ever while planning a wedding during a pandemic.
A few weeks ago I went golfing with my fiancé, and over one of the last holes gigantic power lines. I mean gigantic! I had never seen anything like it up close, and I also am not quite sure how it was considered safe to play near, but there we were. These power lines were so huge that you could quite literally hear the electricity run through them. I have never actually heard electricity. It was a constant pulsing static what you could almost feel. My fiancé said he could almost feel it in his skin. Again, not sure how this was up to code, but needless to say we didn’t stick around too long. This constant, pulsing, static is how I have been currently feeling in the world, the electricity has been the constant barrage of posts, new stories, conversations, restrictions, and losses. It’s been coursing through the veins of humanity for the better part of this year, and to say it’s wearing on us is putting it mildly. Pair all of this with trying to plan a safe yet fun wedding, and you have yourself a recipe for a nervous breakdown. It’s been quite the ride!
So, for the past few weeks, I’ve wanted to be quick. Quick to make a move, quick to give up, quick to speak, quick to run, quick to judge, quick to try and control…..the list goes on. In my running, panicking, and in the midst of many, many tears, God spoke. “Be still.” Be still? Are you kidding me? If I am still I am pretty sure I will crawl right out of my skin! But God persisted. “Be still.” Where is this coming from I questioned? I feel like I had heard this phrase somewhere in the Bible, but I was unsure where. So I searched, and God provided. Psalms 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God.” Such a short scripture, with such a powerful blow to my human ego. The God who parted seas, raised the dead, healed the sick, sacrificed His only Son, is my King. He has more power, more knowledge, more wisdom, more everything than I ever will or could. And He has a plan. I was doubting Him, again. How many times will I do this? When will I learn?
The following week I happened to stumble across a Christian magazine put out by The Daily Grace Co. (WORTH IT if you haven’t visited their site). The title of the magazine is “Be Still.” Laugh.Out.Loud. at myself. God always shows up for me, even when I am stubborn. I snagged the latest copy and started pouring over its beautiful pages and fantastic articles. While reading a specific article by Danielle Munoz, a paragraph leaped off the page and into my soul. “In order for us to treasure His love more deeply and to serve Him more freely, the Lord often uses trials to challenge every sense of normalcy we have. Above our health, our living situation, our children, or any other thing we define ourselves by, He desires that Christ become our only “normal” our sense of joy.” Nothing is normal. Not planning a wedding, not work, not how we connect with each other, not what we see in the media, nothing. But God asks us to humbly turn to Him in times of need for peace. He is our only normal. He is unchanging, unwavering, and unfailing. We must cancel out the noise and turn our eyes and hearts towards Him over, and over, and over. So I have been practicing being still, and being in the Lord’s presence. When I find myself panicking over wedding planning, I hear, “be still.” When I start getting overwhelmed by the news I hear, “be still.” When I want to be quick to give my own opinion instead of listen I hear, “be still.” Be still. Be still. Be still. So my precious readers, if you find yourself lost in the chaos and overbearing noise of the earthly plane, take a deep breath, and be still.