Stillness Speaks

One of my favorite Bible verses is Psalm 46:10: “Be still, and know that I am God.”  I often gravitate towards the first two words.  In the chaos of the world, I want to hear any wisdom that my faith or my own inner voice will reveal to me.  

How often do we humans do that, actually practice being still?  When we are awake we tend to fill up our days with to-do lists and schedule our time so that we are always going, going, and doing, doing.  There’s never a lack of something that requires our time and attention.  

Even when we relax, are we being still? We may be just sitting and watching our favorite show or most recent movie, or even reading.  When I read, I am often easily engrossed in the story, visualizing the characters and scenes, and my mind is definitely not quiet.

I understand that stillness isn’t for everyone.  There are many people who do not want to sit in the quiet and be left alone with their thoughts.  It’s too scary.  They don’t want to entertain what dwells hidden inside.  Not me.  

I like to regularly steal away to a calm, quiet place where no one else is, turn off all electronic devices and just sit in stillness.  I also need to give myself a little time to get there, as sometimes my mind is buzzing with activity.  And more often than not, when I stay still, I am surprised at what I sense and hear.

This also requires a willingness to be open to what my heart and mind want to reveal to me.  Perhaps I’ve been struggling with something or someone, maybe it’s a circumstance, feeling or emotion that keeps cropping up, and I’m unsure of what to do.  I admit, there have been times nothing happens.  I may feel more relaxed, yet any clarity remains hidden.  There have been many, many more occasions where something lands deep in my heart.

The best way I can describe it is to imagine dropping a leaf in the rapids of a river.  That leaf will be quickly swept away and disappear from your view.  However, if you drop a leaf in an area of the river where the water is calm and quiet, it will land gently on the water and float there.  

That’s usually what happens when I allow the stillness to settle into me and my mind gets quiet.

Meaningful and often beautiful little truths find a safe place to land.