Be Still
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, NIV
In my mind, rest is one of the biggest ways we can be kind to ourselves. When God says, “Be still, and know that I am God,” I take that literally. One evening as I sat rocking my seven-month-old, I thought about the idea of stillness. It had been a relentlessly busy month in our household, and I couldn’t wait for a break. My husband had four out-of-town work trips within a two-week time span. I spent a weekend helping with one conference, closely followed by several days attending a different conference out of state.
Finally home again, I felt ready to drop.
I finished feeding my daughter. Normally, I would be in a hurry to get her back into bed, but instead I paused. I smoothed my palm over her back, felt her soft hair on my neck, heard her noisy breaths whiffling in chorus with her white-noise machine.
She’s my third child, and I think this time more than any other, I’ve learned how to revel in her babyhood. My five-year-old still sits in my lap sometimes, but her coltish arms and legs sprawl haphazardly. There is no way to tuck her in close to my chest as I can the baby. So I know that these moments of rest, late at night, are fleeting. It’s the stillness of these moments that gives them significance.
Here in this moment, there is only peace. I’m struck by the idea that maybe the reason my stillness is significant to God is because in the regular pace of life, stillness is rare. It is precious. The God of the universe revels in the moments when he can hold me close to his heart, because he knows that pretty soon, I’ll be off and running again. But while this season of stillness lasts, I’ll cherish it.
— Today’s Act of Kindness —
Be kind to yourself by taking some time to rest, even if it’s just for a few moments. Lock yourself in the bathroom to escape, if you have to! Enjoy the stillness.
From the book
