THE HARD ART OF BEING STILL

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Why Is It So Hard

I find the thing that I often don’t make time for is the hard art of being still. I think for me, it’s because sometimes I have guilt for being still. I’m quite sure this is probably a combination of my caregiving days and always being hyper-aware of just how short life really is. I am realizing lately how wrong that is. Yes, life is short and the need to stay moving is so real it’s like a pulse beating in my throat urging me forward.

Eventually, what happens when I don’t practice the hard art of being still, I become spent, exhausted, and in every other way a shell with what feels like nothing left inside.

Yes, there is work to be done, but that will NEVER EVER change! There will always be work to be done, jobs to be finished, deadlines to be met, activities to be at on time, bills to be paid, article to write, kids to raise, laundry to be folded, but being still can help with all of that!

How?

I think for me it can be like a RESET button. That is, when I FINALLY take it!

Does it work like that for you too?

It also helps me realize that I am not being as productive in my everyday life as I could be if I would maximize the downtime to really be still and let go.

That is sometimes when the best ideas, the deepest soul connection to God, the calming of our hearts, and the reality of what really matters has time to be realized in our hearts. It’s during that time when you are practicing the hard art of being still that His enormity can envelop you in a way that is so real it’s palpable.

God even tells us that in His word, doesn’t He?

He reminds us in Psalm 46:10 “Be still and know that I am God.”

Then again in Exodus 14:14 “The Lord will fight for you…you need only to be still.” (this one literally gives me shivers up and down my spine as I picture myself hiding behind My God hanging onto his robe as He fights FOR ME!)

Psalm 62:5 is another one, “For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from Him .”

The Irony of Stillness

What is it about stillness?

It can be so loud if you are in the midst of struggling…all you can hear is the “volume of your thoughts”. It can be deafening if you are afraid and it seems it is all closing in around you.

AND

It can be the greatest comforter and refresher if you have been nonstop and desperately need to be still to reset.I think that is why it’s so important, right?

He tells us enough in His word to rest in Him and be still in Him because He knows we need it. This isn’t about whether or not we want it or feel like it. It’s like eating your veggies when you were a kid. You know you have to do it, so you need to be intentional about it and do it.

I am looking like a hypocrite right now though because I will tell you that being too still lets my thoughts creep in. Sometimes they are so loud, and the pain sometimes so deep that my soul aches, my heart races, and my breathing gets shallow. There is also pain in the stillness, but again, that is where I can give it to God, if only I will.

Sometimes it’s thoughts about my Mom really being gone that I have to quickly squelch because the pain is so deep it feels as if a sickening taste is coming up to my throat and it’s beginning to squeeze tight around my throat and I can barely breathe.

Other times its regrets about the past or concerns about the future. I often think of old cases when I was an EMT that will most likely always be with me, wondering how certain families/individuals are doing and praying for certain families that I witnessed their lives drastically change in a moment.

Other times it’s about my precious babies I won’t get to meet until one day when I am in Heaven with them. I wonder what they look like, trying to imagine breathing in their baby essence and what they would have liked to eat or read, or what their personality would have been like. Then out of nowhere, the mack truck or reality hits me with such intensity, it knocks the wind out of me.

Yes, sometimes, the stillness is what I run from..do you?

Sometimes the stillness and the thoughts and pain that lie there become too much for this heart to bare.

Ah, but then I remember, I don’t have to bare it all. God is there. He is right there in the stillness with open arms and plenty of space for all my grief, pain, struggles, and insecurities.

He can take it. I can give him my anger, sadness, utter contempt for things I don’t understand. I can give him my grief that I can’t share with anyone for fear the pain will be too real.

God In The Stillness

I often wonder what God thinks about when He looks at us. Does He think, “When will they learn to trust me?” or “I know she is trying, but oh if she could just rest in me.” or “That kid needs a break and I wish she could know how close I am.” Maybe it’s none of those, but I think it’s OK and good to wonder about it. I love thinking about God as my Daddy because that’s who He is anyway.

I wonder if He can know just how much I really do love and trust Him and how much of this is just the anxiousness and nerves of life experiences and may always be a part of my ingrained DNA for the foreseeable future.

Being still can be just what I need, but will I take it?

Will I trust enough that the small piece of the world I am responsible for won’t fall apart while I am taking that still time?

Will I release that need to have it just so before I take that break?

When will it be enough that I can just stop and be still?

Part of it is fear that I could end up like my Mom (permanently still for her last 10 years of life) and so in gratitude to show God I am thankful for a moving body, I just don’t want to stop and be still at all.

I don’t think there is much to the whole “let’s retire and live a life of leisure” mentality for me. That’s not appealing. We are called to be living, serving, helping, loving and growing all the days of our lives. I want to know I did all I could.

What I am missing though is this….I am not doing all I could if I don’t take time to just be still in Him.

What are you running from? Where are you headed? Do you have a moment or can you make a minute for being still in God? Can you meet Him in the stillness of your pain and surrender it all to Him? It will be the most worthwhile experience if you can. He won’t ever hurt you. He promises us that!

The Practical Side

What are your secrets for setting that time aside and making it happen?

I am working and improving on it over here, but I tell you, it truly is for me, a reprieve and joy when I do take the time to practice the hard art of being still.

Being Still isn’t an easy thing in our culture or society friends. It is in fact hard and must be intentionally laid out.

I do find though, that just like our phones and other devices have to be still when they are being charged for another day or hour of work, so I too NEED to sit down, plug in, and recharge. There really is no way to keep going on an empty battery right? So, we have to be still while we are plugged in getting our recharge.

I know as last week I ran on empty and just kept going and kept going. The problem is overextending ourselves (another article coming soon about that) coupled with so many other possible scenarios. Are you currently in life circumstances that won’t allow for much stillness…caregiving, in the middle of traumatic situation, going through deep waters, moving, adjusting to life as a new parent or single parent, or any myriad of other situations can call for what seems like no time for stillness.

I get it, friend. I really do.

But, could I suggest just waking up 5 minutes early or taking 5 minutes after your household is asleep and giving yourself that gift of 5 minutes. I know it’s not much, but it’s a start and it could work towards recharging your battery just a little. Maybe that 5 can eventually turn into 15 and then 20.

Give yourself the mandatory gift of stillness and recharge your battery friend. We have discussed before why kindness so desperately matters, so take this time to be kind to yourself and your soul. Are you concerned it’s been too long and God is angry with you? He doesn’t work like that friend. You can read this article here with some encouragement in regards to that.

I rise early in the morning before the rest of my household wakes up. And although much of my time is spent working on articles and printables, I try to take a few minutes before I start working to talk to God. I try to rest in Him. Then, as I feel led to write, I also feel as if that is a part of my stillness with Him.

It has become something that I really long for and look forward to just as yours will eventually! Find what works for you.

Comment below with how you practice the hard art of being still and share this with someone who could use some encouragement today. Don’t forget to snag your FREE PRINTABLE SET here to visually remind yourself to take a moment and be still.