I was feeling sad as a retiree shared his panic followed by an intense sense of dread that he would not have enough money for his spouse and children. No doubt individuals and families are suffering due to our national economy. It would be easy to get lost in the mindset of doom. Let's not.Whenever we feel overwhelmed, it is so hard to sit still. It’s even a chore just to close your eyes for a few moments and gently let the world disappear to regain your balance. Shutting your eyes (never during driving) is a way of regaining health to your nervous system. In closing our eyes, we can regain our balance and proper focus.
Despite the economy and doom in the daily news, we need to learn to “be still.” So many struggles, so many battles because we are always on the go. And even when we have our body "sitting still", it seems that our minds keep..."going."
God prays for us as we reflect: "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:107).
When should we pray like this? It is hard to be still especially when everything and everyone is moving with such speed. But there are so many benefits in learning to “being still.” One is that we can “know God.”
Let me illustrate with an experience we share in our travels. We are visiting a famous aquarium or museum. There are lots of informational signs regarding the fish and the artwork. As you browse through the different galleries with your rented “hearing wand” you learn the stories about the fish or artists. But we still hastened pass so many of the exhibits. Even when we did stop to look for a nano-second, we were in a hurry. So, consequently, we were never still enough to know about the jellyfish, the horses or the works of art.
But if they are to know the artist, we must "be still" and spend time. Then we will know about the author as we gaze quietly at a cloud, a branch, and a wave of the sea or a ray of the drifting moon. In other words, "Be still and know the artist."
Find some solitude in your life. This can be challenging if you are at work, or at home with kids. But we all need some private time to let the nervous system regenerate. As little children, we might have hidden in the closet either playing “hide go seek” or a way to get away from it all. This tiny single room (a nun's closet, quite literally) became our sanctuary from the stresses of a little kid’s world. Inside we used our imagination not to feel scared but to find calm. Be creative. Find your space. Any way you can.
Lord, I pray for all my Sonshine Friends that they be motivated to just "hush" and "be still" and let you love them and minister to them. Help us to surrender these feelings of dread and doom and let them be still in their “nun’s closet”....let the Lord come in.
