I used to wonder what exactly being still meant. –Like how many relaxing things that I did qualified or met the ‘being still’ requirements. If I laid on the couch all weekend with a good book, movie, or marathon series, was that enough ‘stillness’. If I spent an hour studying my bible and taking notes, wasn’t that time alone with God, the kind of stillness that he desired. –You know, one where we could hear his voice…
You might laugh about this because being still can only imply one thing and yet those of us who hate being still, try to come up with ways to stretch the meaning to accommodate our addictions, desires, and to do lists.
The definition of ‘stillness’ is exactly as it sounds though: ‘The absence of movement or sound.’
But there is a voice that can strike in our heads telling us that there is too much to do and that others are depending on us, as it rattles off a list of all of the things you could be accomplishing in this wasted time.
Even though that definition is simple, it was a struggle for me. Until a few years ago when I was going through a big transition. I don’t remember the exact catalyst but I ended up buying a lawn chair to keep in the van. Then I started trying to stop 3 days a week on the way home to sit outside where ever I could squeeze it in. Even though it was only about 15 minutes. (And no the gist of this post isn’t about a lawn chair. Hang in there.)
Now I did start this time by reading a quick devotion and occasionally saying a prayer or snapping a picture. But then I started the timer. Little did I know ‘how onto something’ I was. I could literally feel the shifting in my life and within.
Since 2015 I have toyed with this time, occasionally even trying out ‘meditation’ with my eyes closed just like you see in pictures, or parked in my van with my head leaned back.
It wasn’t until I started recovery that I began to ‘get it’.
We all know the benefits of rest. You’ve likely heard statistics about stillness or mindfulness, and I will let you look that up on your own, but for those of you who need a picture to see what stillness looks like, check this out.
I’ve been making a lot of things from scratch lately. One of which is salad dressing/marinade. Mostly because I am trying to be a little healthier but I also want to utilize what I already have on hand instead of buying everything new and already prepared.
When you start making real dressings with olive oil, vinegar, and your own seasonings you have to stir or shake them well before each use because after sitting for a while, what’s inside separates.
The oil or fat rises to the top so it could be removed if needed. While the actual ingredients fall to the bottom, and the vinegar rests in the middle.
We are much the same way. When we are still (without movement or sound), our subconscious and conscious parts of our bodies get to see, and sit with, each other. The things that weigh us down, can rise to the top so that we can sort them, while other things settle on their own. Like the vinegar, it’s in the stillness, that things inside, get cleared up.
While there is nothing wrong with enjoying a good book or marathon series; and there are indeed benefits of rest alone that you can get during this time. Your mind [our minds] need a space to be clear without the chronic ‘stirring up’ that we like to apply. So, that the information that we pour in all day and night, can sort itself.
Somehow it’s in the setting aside for a time that truly allows the ‘spices’ [of our spirit, feelings, interests] to infuse the rest of the body- the essence of who we are becomes bolder, richer, more flavorful.
Yet at the same time, things on the outside seem to respond to our letting go of the power to control it, and they are free to handle themselves. Kind of like Psalms 46:10 implies in ‘Be still and know that I am God.’
I can’t tell you how many times over the last three years, I have been surprised to see that the things that I let go of, really didn’t need me in the solution. Even my creativity is better when I stop thinking about what I can create.
But unlike the dressing, life won’t always have this kind of stillness ‘prepared’ for you. It’s something that you’ll have to make (time for) on your own. It may even take you quite a few tries before you find that you like it. But its health benefits may far outweigh other variations that you’ve tried. Even your smallest efforts have a tremendous impact.
As for me, I’m ready to learn more about meditation, so if you have any useful links, tips, or local classes that have helped you, holla.
I hope you have enjoyed this visual and that it sticks with you in this ‘oh so busy’ life. May you find time to cultivate and reap from your own stillness. For now, peace be with you.
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Surely I have composed and quieted my soul; like a weaned child rests against his mother, my soul is like a weaned child within me. –Psalm 131:2
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Teach me, and I will be silent. Make me understand how I have gone astray. -Job 6:24
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The Lord will fight for you, you need only to be still. –Exodus 14:14
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