Being Still

Am I the only one who has trouble being still? You would think that in retirement, one would be able to just sit without thinking they needed to be doing something. During our careers , particularly, our last 23 years, we literally lived by the clock. We knew to be late to a wedding we were to photograph could be a disaster; especially at a venue where time was of the essence.

Sitting down is something I can do without thinking. I enjoy sitting more and more as these old... legs tire much easier than they did at one time. However, sitting and being still is another matter. My thoughts, even when trying to be still and pray, tend to wander and I catch myself looking around and wondering if there isn't something I should be doing. My toe is tapping.........my fingers, twiddling and my mind is wandering. In the next moment, I have picked up the latest book I'm reading or reached over to retrieve my computer. Or, I have gotten up just to look out the window to see what might be taking place outside our home.

At the end of most days, although my mind and body seem to have refrained from a quiet mode, I look around and wonder just what I have accomplished.

" Be still, and know that I am God;
I will be exalted among the nations,
I will be exalted in the earth!" Psalm 46:10 NKJV

I'm no Hebrew scholar but I do know that the words "be still" in that language literally means to let go or release. Now, why can't I let go or release the idea of having to be constantly moving or doing something? How much better off I would be if I could only let go of that idea and just give up my thoughts and time to a loving, caring God, allowing Him time to tell me what He wants me to do.
In the busyness of a typical day, there are very few minutes for most to give a thought of God. But, God is never to busy to give thought to each of us.

When was the last time you just sat in quietness without thinking you needed to be doing something productive? Does quietness frighten you? When you are totally quiet in body and mind, what happens?

"Be still in the presence of the Lord,
and wait patiently for him to act." Psalm 37:7a NLT

Activity is no sure sign of progress...............

Politics! Politics

Are you tired of the political ads yet?  We go to the mailbox and come back with a handful of flyers promoting this candidate and that candidate. I don't know about you but we stuff ours in the wastebasket with hardly a glance.  The flyers expound on how wonderful a certain person is and/or how awful their opposition is. You turn on the television and over and over the same ads run telling you who you should vote for and why. Now, the whole thing is this: Who do you believe? How do you really know which candidate is best?  Are all the Democrats right?  Or are the Republicans right?  Or, how about those few independents?  Is the candidate with the most money the right one?   I recently looked at the Arkansas General Election four page flyer with names of people running for office.  The majority of those people I haven't heard of.  How do I know for whom to vote?  We look at Washington and all the hearings of people who are accused of various things.  How many of those people are guilty?  How many are framed?  How many lie their way out of things only to continue to bring our country to it's knees.

As Christians, all we can do is pray that God will show us His desires.  We must pray for Him to show us which candidates are truthful; which are not.

Isn't it wonderful to know that there is One we can count on to be truthful in all things?  Our God cannot lie.

 

^" The sum of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous ordinances is everlasting." Psalm 119:160 NASB

This Moment...........

What is your purpose for this very moment? Not your purpose for life , but for this exact moment.
Life isn't given to us all at once but in small increments of seconds, minutes......moments. It's difficult for anyone to say what your purpose in life is other than for the believer, it's to honor God; to do His will. But, what is your purpose for this moment; the moment you are reading this.
Are you setting by your phone? Is there someone that needs a call? Is there a pen ...and some paper on the table beside you? Does someone need to hear from you with an encouraging word or perhaps a word of sympathy? Maybe you are homebound but God has placed a name of someone on your heart that you are to pray for. Are you at your work desk? When you look up, do you see another person? Do you need to invite that person to lunch with you ? Perhaps they need to unload their burdens on a listening ear. Or maybe they are unchurched and they need an invite from you to attend your church? Are you working in a day care where a little child needs that extra hug they didn't get before they were placed in your care for the day? Is there a student in your classroom that is dealing with a difficult home environment? Or maybe they are being bullied and afraid to let anyone know ? Do they need your smile and just a word to let them know that they are important to you and that you are proud of them? What about that person who walks into your store? Do you have time for them or do you just let them browse and maybe walk out when what they really needed was some conversation? What about your own family? When you are together in the evenings are you preoccupied with catching up on the latest news on TV or maybe answering your e-mail or checking your Facebook? Remember, those children God has given you won't be in your care always. This moment you have to give them your undivided attention will not come again.

Time is precious. Each moment that passes leaves us with that much less of it. We all have the same amount of time. God knew that 24 hours and 7 days a week was plenty of time to accomplish what He wants each of us to do. It's up to us to determine how we are going to spend those moments because we will never have them back.
A Time for Everything
For everything there is a season,
a time for every activity under heaven.
A time to be born and a time to die.
A time to plant and a time to harvest.
A time to kill and a time to heal.
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to cry and a time to laugh.
A time to grieve and a time to dance.
A time to scatter stones and a time to gather stones.
A time to embrace and a time to turn away.
A time to search and a time to quit searching.
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear and a time to mend.
A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate.
A time for war and a time for peace. Ecclesiastes 3: 1-8 NLT