Tuesday, September 19, 2023

Come, "Be Still"



Do you ever take time to simply "Be Still" during your days? It may sound impossible in light of your to-do list or all the work you see piling up around...

Yet I can't emphasize enough how healing it can be to just stop and Be Still... for even 3 minutes! (Yes, we do have three spare minutes. Think of all the 3-minute blocks of time that are wasted each day!)

Have you noticed how our culture is increasingly wired against this concept? Next time you are in a line or waiting room, just look around and see how many others are buried in their smart-phones.

And do you find, as I do, that when more tired or stressed, we are even more tempted to turn to our phones for "mindless" scrolling? (Unfortunately, this does affect our minds anyway. But that's another topic...)

When we actually stop and unplug long enough, we may actually start to think! And I've been thinking more and more about how all the noise and images, sensational news and pointless games are no accident.

Instead they are often a real temptation...
• A distraction from the real life we were meant to live
• A replacement to the truth we were meant to ponder
• A poor substitute for the beauty and wonder of the world God has given us
• An opening to subtle (or blatant!) lies
• An "immunization" against what should shock and sicken us
• And a false sense of accomplishment and worth
... among other concerns!

Don't get me wrong! I am also grateful for the ways technology allows us to keep up with loved ones or run a business - especially when chronic illness keeps one at home for years. And I could still think myself into a hole on some less-than-optimal days if I didn't have a good audiobook, audio-Bible or podcast playing through earbuds.

But even then I need to be careful not to let the "perpetual motion" of life keep me from the following reality-check:

"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



Oh, how a few minutes of stillness with a verse or two of Truth can reset the mind... and even the body! Let me know if you try it today and how it goes for you!

📖 A few other Bible verses to ponder in light of all this are:
▪︎ Philippians 4:8
▪︎ Romans 12:2
▪︎ Colossians 3:1-2
▪︎ Isaiah 26:3

~ Hannah

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