Psalm 46:10
Be still, and know that I am God;...
Psalm 23:2
...He leads me beside the still waters.
It is with great conviction that I feel God calling me to still waters. He has called me so that I can know the He is God and so that He can restore my soul. Understanding the seasons in my life has been an essential key to my survival & to my joy in this life - not so long ago I even preached on this very subject. I have found many people love being called to busyness and to do things for God but few people love the 'still' seasons. Most people completely avoid God's call to be still. I too have been guilty of this in the past but not this time. It excites me to see what beautiful green pastures He is going to lead me to and I am thrilled to know that I may have some time out to rest by the still waters.
Practically though, what does this look like in my life? STOPPING! That's the first thing that this means to me. I have to stop saying yes to everything and everyone and just take time to be still. I have already stopped most of my duties in church keeping only a few that are essential at the moment. I have stopped feeling the pressure to be highly productive and achieve all the time. This is a season of rest and my only focus is to find ways to rest each day. Does that sound boring? Well it can be boring if you don't understand the season but if you embrace it and adjust your mind accordingly it is wonderful.
This season brings me more time with my children just hanging out in the garden playing with frogs and ladybirds. It also gives me more time to try out new recipes and bake more cakes with the children. Hopefully it will give me some time to mooch around town and do some random shopping.... ooh that would be nice I haven't done that in AGES! Most importantly it gives me time to linger in God's presence. Often I find myself rambling off my long list of prayers and then running off to some meeting. In this season I can linger, I can get a baby sitter and just spend hours sitting in His presence - it's almost like a holiday with Jesus.
Am I lazy? No! I used to feel lazy in the 'still' seasons and the guilt drove me back to busyness, but not this time. Have you have had a still season ? How did you find it? I would love to hear your views and thoughts on being still.
The Lord has recently called me to a season of being still, and reading your blog has greatly helped me to see that readjusting the perspective is what makes the difference-what a person does with the time they are given rather than busying oneself with different tasks that can potentially leave a person feeling empty without the intimacy that is developed with the Lord. I want to thank you for putting this blog up so that others may receive wisdom and revelation as they too walk into future seasons. I have received from reading your words and I thank you so very much! Be blessed!
ReplyDeleteIt's wonderful to hear from you Vannicole, may God richly bless you in your season of stillness. x
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