Stillness

BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD - Psalm 46:10

Stillness.

For someone who has always lived in a town outside of London, stillness is an unfamiliar, inconceivable concept. Stillness only happens at night if you don't have things that need to be ready for the next day, bills to pay, young kids or worry keeping your mind and body awake.

Stillness only happens on Christmas morning after you've opened all your presents and you're in the period in between that and dinner...as you sit anxiously awaiting something to do.
Stillness for the city slickers doesn't even happen on holiday.
Holidays are skiing, watersports, mountaineering, and rushing off to do the next tourist activity. Holidays are needed to recover from holidays.

Do we as the city folk even know how to be still?

We used to go on holiday a lot to France when I was growing up, not to the peak tourist areas, but the country. Where 'town' was a street with, if you're lucky, a corner shop and post box. Where old men would sit out on plastic chairs in front of their houses and watch the world go by for hours on end. Where old ladies would sit on park benches watching the game of boule.

For the city folk...an absolute nightmare.
Sit for 5 minutes and you can list a thousand things you could be doing instead.
But for communities like the French countryside, the people are more reliant on observance, they see things and they appreciate things. Putting time and love and care into things is essential.

This year, I have been battling with stillness and my own minds misconception that stillness equates to unproductivity and laziness. That because my life largely consists of meeting up with people or days at home, my purpose is lacking.
That because in this season I am not working, my worth in society decreases.

A misconception indeed.

In the recent series in church we discussed the concept that the devil can use busyness as a method to draw us away from God.
And as I sit here on the balcony I am reminded of all the days I have had where I became anxious due to having no plans.
The enemy has successfully misconstrued my thoughts to think that these days are a curse, when in actual fact these days are an incredible blessing from the Lord himself.
A year of no working, with provision, a roof over my head, friends, a supportive family, a beautiful country and a glorious church.

In what possible way could this be viewed as anything but a blessing?

But stillness in a fast paced society does instigate feelings of anxiety, laziness and unproductivity. Because to society, without a high flying, 6 figure earning career, who even are you?

Ah society, little do you know that our identity is not embedded in careers or working everyday. Our identity is embedded in the Lord God almighty who calls us to be still, who reminds us to rest and whose very son took time to simply

'know that I am God'.

And surely, if it's good enough for the Son of God, it's most definitely good enough for us!