Be Still
Hello Friends,
Its been awhile since I've had time to sit down and write. Now, you find me sitting in this cozy coffee shop and ask, "Where have you been? I haven't talked to you at all this week?" And of course I look down in shame, mumbling, I was busy. That is a complete lie. I have been trying to distract myself to avoid doing what needs to be done. Does that sound familiar to you my friend? Trying to avoid facing our endless piles of responsibilities and daily tasks that must be done. Our lives are so busy, always going, going, going. We try our best to keep up but this can be exhausting. So I ask of you, "can you stop and be still?"
"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
We cannot keep going, going and going or we will burn out eventually. God knows this and he placed upon our hearts a peace that settles our mind when we come to Him. We need to take some time each and every day to take ourselves away from all the distraction, to go to a quiet place and relax our minds. God keeps telling us over and over to come to Him. When we sit in His presence and surrender our thoughts, stress, worry and busy lives to Him, he grants us peace. ssshhh I have a little secret for you. (When we give our time to Christ, He stretches time for us to get more things accomplished.) It is so important to sit in His presence and wait for His voice. He hates watching us tie ourselves into knots with worry and stress. He wants to show us things, make us grow stronger and more wiser. However, with busy minds, we cannot hear His voice and open our eyes to the things He wants to show you. Therefore, be still.
"The Lord is good to those who wait for Him, to the soul who seeks Him. It is good to wait quietly for salvation from the Lord." -Lamentations 3:25
Today, God wants to fill you with peace. He wants you to know everything will be okay. He sees the bigger picture from the beginning to the end and He works all things together for the good. He did not die a painful death for you to be stressed out and burnt out in life. He died so you have peace, hope and freedom in His presence. This verse strongly reminds us worry warts and busy peeps to trust in Him. Be still.
"Peace I leave with you; My peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubles and do not be afraid." -John 14:27
Sadly, I have wrestled with being still. I get so distracted and bury myself with so many activities, work and things that I forget to clear my mind and I find myself thinking about other things when I should be focused on Him. Do you have this ongoing struggle? Over the years I have picked up a few tips to help me to stay tuned with my Father and what he wants to say. 1) Use a journal: Even if you are a lousy writer, a journal really helps keeps your thoughts in order. 2) Turn off and put away distracting devices: Before I sit in the presence of God, I leave my phone and any distracting devices off, silent or in a different room. 3) Write down the things that are constantly on your mind: Have a note-pad nearby so you can clear your mind. If something pops up in your head like "I need to pick up a card for mom." Write it down. So you can remember it after and clear your mind. 4) Find a quiet spot where no one can bug you: I have a quiet spot in my closet. Its kinda like a secret room and I threw old comforters with pillows down as a little padded area. Your quiet spot can be your room or in your backyard or at the park or anywhere. A place where you can focus without distraction. Following these four tips will guide you to hear His voice. First pray and surrender everything to Him then wait for His voice. Just recently, God gave me this verse telling me to wait upon Him for direction. I want to share it with you.
"Wait for the Lord; Be strong and take heart and wait for the Lord." -Psalm 27:14
I encourage you to try to take a few moments at least to sit in the peace and blessings the Lord wants to pour out upon you. If you have any questions or need to vent or something, I am here for you always and I just wanted to let you know friend, I am praying for each and every one of you. You are important in His eyes. Have a beautiful day!
xo
Bri
