We live in an increasingly busy world, and have become human doings not human beings. Scroll through the internet for more than 5 minutes and you will stumble over posts of people in their picture perfect houses with their picture perfect families; showing you "life hacks" to simplify some random task you probably didn't realize was problematic. People brag, oddly, about how tired they are, how busy and overworked or overwhelmed. I have never quite understood this. This is the "Cult of Busy", a phrase I know I stole from somewhere, just don't ask me where.
One of my favourite Bible verses is Habakkuk 2:20: "The Lord is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him". Like it, and also a favourite is Psalm 46:10a: "Be still and know that I am God". Having done a little research (very little, but still...) I know the stillness called for here is not necessarily quite in line with my private interpretation, but I think it stands. In a world so chaotic and busy a little stillness is often called for. Personally it is something I cherish - the early morning hour before my day starts (once before my children were up and about), a meditative soak under the stars at the end of the day have become sacred bookends to my days. I enjoy the silence, the quiet, alone with my thoughts, in communion with something much bigger than me.
In a world overflowing with busy - the demands of work and family, of bills to pay, a household to manage, exams to prepare for - whatever your stresses might be - taking a moment to pause through the day may seem impossible. We can all start to feel like there just aren't enough hours in the day, or days in the week. And this is why I think it's so important to set aside time to just breathe, to be grateful for what you have, and maybe even what you don't have! I know the days I don't get up a little earlier than I'd like to read a devotion or two and pray, to savour a good cup of coffee in the stillness the day comes at me in a rush and I feel far more scattered and impatient, less able to cope with even the most ordinary of unexpected crises. And taking a few minutes at the end of the day, to breathe and process the day's events gives me peace for a good night's rest. Some of this is simple self care, a lot of it is reconnecting with the Source of my peace and strength. Taking time for myself, to pray, to meditate, to just breathe feeds my soul. Why do we believe we need to wait for that two week vacation that comes with its own stresses of budget and travel and packing? And I do look forward to my vacations, whether they are on a beach with my sisters or reading on my deck with a cold beer, lest you think I'm saying vacations aren't important.
Taking time out daily feeds the soul, and, despite what my friends who say there are deadlines and just so much to do, lets you get more done, not less, because you've given yourself a chance to recentre, to reconnect, to clear the cobwebs and consider what really matters. I can hear several of my friends, and my lovely daughter too, telling me they don't like to be alone with their thoughts. I have been there, turning on the TV for company as soon as I walked through the door. I know all about the whispers and lies that can shout even louder if we don't drown them out with doing, with noise and distractions. And what if we - just for a moment- stood still in the silence? What if we stopped fleeing those murmuring voices we're so busy trying to drown out with distraction and noise of our own? Maybe we'd begin to see them for what they are, whining mosquitos not shrieking pterodactyls. And you can swat a mosquito. Centering yourself, being comfortable with the quiet, with the pause, what peace it will bring, what strength and sureness.
I challenge you today to find even five minutes to be still. Now, since I feel like I've lost my train of thought, I'll sign off, and pick up more about being still in my next post.
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