Lessons learned while being still...

I have been on a journey these past few weeks of seeking to be still...

I have been intentional about slowing down and focusing on my relationship with my Lord and with my family... I have been carefully considering and praying about how to spend my time daily rather than let activities and plans of others dictate my schedule and my calender. It has been absolutely wonderful and very freeing!

I am learning several lessons during my quest to be still more often and wanted to share them here, in hopes they may help some of you.

I am learning that being still is not just a lack of physical activity. In fact, I am learning that you can be still while in the midst of physical activity. In many ways being still is more about our minds and hearts being still and focused on the task at hand rather than being divided among several different tasks. My Lord has shown me that often times my heart and mind are not still, they are running off in so many different directions that I can not effectively do the task I am currently working on because I am too distracted. So I am learning daily to still my heart and my mind. If I catch my heart and mind wandering ahead to future tasks I try to reel them back in so I can have an undivided focus on what it is I am currently doing.

I am also learning that in order to have a still mind and heart, which enable me to more effectively fulfill the calling God has on my life, which at this time is being a wife and mom, I do not have to take part in every single "good" activity that comes my way. This has been hard for me, because I like to take advantage of all the "good" opportunities that come along. However, I am learning to take them to God, and allow Him to reveal to me if they are what He desires for me to fill my time with at this time. I came to the realization that many things that are good are not good for me at this season in my life... they take me away from my family, which is God's priority for me right now. Not only do they take me away from my family in person but they occupy much of my thoughts, causing me to be distracted and divided in my time with them. Instead of having time to have a teachable moment, to spend extra time loving on my family, to make a nice healthy meal for my family, or to spend the extra time needed on a discipline problem, I was having to rush and run out the door to get to this activity or that activity. So I am learning to say "No" to those things the Lord leads me to say "No" to rather than yes to everything... and I can I say it has been very freeing. And I can definitely say it has helped me to quiet my heart and my mind and to have a more undivided focus of the things the Lord would have me to focus on right now.

I am also learning that being still, having a quiet heart and mind, open up the door for me to hear my Lord's voice more clearly, more consistently, and more frequently. I am more aware of the promptings of His Spirit, and more able to quickly obey those promptings rather than waiting until things slow down... which often when I would wait for things to slow down I would forget about the promptings of His Spirit and not follow through... In focusing on having a quiet heart and a quiet mind I have been able to reach out and minister to others, really in rather simple ways; whereas before I would have been to busy, physically and mentally, to take the time to do such things. Also, in taking time to be still and enjoy life with my family, the Lord has brought opportunities for ministry along our path, nothing big or huge, just little things done for others in the name of Jesus. I know in my life sometimes the little things others have done for me spoke volumes more to me than big things... a timely card sent in the mail, a phone call at just the right time, a smile or word of encouragement, a hug, just the fact that someone noticed you were there...


So this journey to be still has been and is a good one... I plan to continue on it. I long to sit at His feet, Hear His voice, and follow Him in those things He has for me to follow Him in, and I long to do all this with an undivided heart. What about you? Do you take time to be still, to quiet your heart and your mind so that you can more effectively hear our Lord speak to you? I enjoy you to do so...