Be Still

I've seen it over and over and over again this week. "Be still and know that I am God." It comes from Psalm 46:10. I have heard it in various devotions, Christian songs, even a Facebook memory where a friend shared a Jesus Calling devotion with me years ago on that very subject. It got to a point where I said out loud, "OK, Lord, I get it. I get it. I'm not spending enough alone time with you."

Anyone who knows me knows "being still" is not my gift. I like to keep busy. That's not to say I'm always running around, but I'm not one to sit still and do nothing. I'm pretty much always doing something, even in those sitting-still moments. So even during my devotion times with God in the mornings (after reading Scripture or while walking), I'm doing a whole lot of talking to him. To "be still and know" requires blocking out external influences and really listening for God. I suppose that's why I'm drawn to the beach so often ... you do a lot of sitting and "being still" there in awe of Him.

But recently, I found myself going full force first thing in the morning, forgetting to just be still and know Him. I'd walk into my office and see my Bible and journal sitting there on the pink bed and do an "oh yeah, I haven't done that yet. I'll get to it" wave of the hand before going about doing want I thought I needed to do first. I was pushing what should have been my first priority of the day to the side. And you know, when I do that, it seems as if my day gets out of whack pretty quickly. When the Lord keeps putting "be still and know" in front of you countless times in one week, you figure He must have something very important He needs to share with you, convict you of, teach you and/or nudge you to do. Or maybe, just maybe, He just wants to spend time with me.

My daughter calls me every single morning, except Sundays when she's worshiping. On her 25-30 minute drive to work, she calls. We chat about the previous day or the day ahead. We talk about things we're struggling with, joys we're experiencing, adventures we hope to have and funny stories along the way. I look so forward to speaking with her each day, that oftentimes I'll drag myself out of bed after a late night just to be sure I'm up to receive her call. And if I miss it, I feel like I've missed out on a truly precious moment to start off my day.

Now look at it from God's perspective. Look at the above paragraph as if God wrote it. If I love it when my daughter takes the time to call each day, how much more the Father must love it when we take time to "call." God was missing my calls. If Ayla let five days go by without calling, I would miss her so very much ... and frankly worry that something was wrong. Knowing this, I don't want God to miss me. I need Him in my life every single moment. And honestly, when I'm not going to Him, something is wrong.

The moment I sat down to have my quiet time with God this morning reading through my chronological Bible, I thought, "I've got to write about how important this is." So I read my Bible, wrote a prayer in my journal and immediately sat down to write this. So while I read and prayed, I really have not listened as much as I should have just yet. I do believe the Father inspired me to write this for His glory ... but now it's time to be still and do some listening.

Snuggling When You're Not Sick

When my children were little, getting them to sit down and snuggle was a next to impossible. Filled with boundless energy, they had people to see, things to do, places to explore. So any moment where they might actually want to sit next to me and cuddle, I delighted in it. And typically anytime they were ill was the most common time for that cuddling. With little energy for anything else, we'd sit on the couch together and snuggle, reading books, talking or watching television together. It may sound twisted since my children were ill at the time, but I loved those moments.

I have noticed on my spiritual journey that I am much the same as my children. When things are going well, when I'm too busy, I have a tendency to not find my quiet alone-time with God - to "snuggle" with the Creator, as it were. And inevitably when I am ill, whether physically or spiritually, I'm all about the snuggling. I wonder if God wraps me up in His mighty arms, me sitting there ill on His lap, and if He smiles, thinking how much He enjoys this time with me ... and wishes it were more often.

I'm thinking God doesn't deserve that. I think He deserves the well me and not just the sick me. He is so special, important, awesome and loving, that I should be able to cozy up to Him every day to talk and read His Word. I work my schedule around many ridiculous things, truly, like some insignificant television series for example. Surely I can fit snuggling with God in there. We could talk about what I'm up to, what I need to fix, needs of my friends and family and how I could serve His children better. And what better time to do that than when I'm healthy!

I'm feeling pretty good right now. I think I'll go thank Him for that.