Be Still

I have been home from Chicago for three days now. The rush of life has charged full on in front of me and I have no choice but to jump head first.

Yet, I hesitate. I dread. I long. I yearn. I want more. I don’t want to be swept away by life’s busyness again; I want to pause, to bury myself beneath my sheets and to stay there indefinitely.

Before I left for Chicago I went to lunch with a dear friend and mentioned to her how I yearned for more rest. “The author of Rest himself is ready and waiting, Emily. He says to “Be still”. What is stopping you from soaking Him in?” Her question stunned me then, and I have found myself pondering it for three days now.

In this fast paced world we often long for life to slow down. We want to catch our breath; to rest our minds. But there is only so much we can cut away from life — no matter how much we try to detox, the fact does not change that we live in a chaotic world and that chaos will always be beckoning at our door step. This needy, begging chaos is stealing our joy. What is the answer?

Jesus. Jesus is the author of Rest. He is our satisfaction and the drink of water our tired, stressed, parched souls beg for.

“You don’t have time!”, the Enemy screams in our ears.

Oh, what a lie!

The Enemy wants us to have an all or nothing view of life. “If I can’t walk five miles a day, then there is no point”.

“If I can’t do a 30 day organic juice fast, then there is no point”.

“If I can’t devote a full, uninterrupted hour of my day to God, then there is no point”.

The truth is, you don’t need a full, uninterrupted hour of prayer time or Bible study each day.

You just need a moment.

A moment to say “thank you” to Him above. A moment to quote a scripture verse. A moment to breathe in His satisfaction. A moment to trust in His plan. A moment to be still.

His rest is there. Is it waiting. It is beckoning. It is open arms ready to catch you.

I may not be able to stay hidden under my bed covers. But I can take these moments throughout the day. I can steal away to a dark closet for five minutes and drink from His well. I can choose to find His rest amidst the chaos.

I know I will forget these things, I realize I still have so much to learn.

But I am ready. Ready to learn. Ready to be still.