What does “stillness” actually look like? See how it can fit into your life.

“Be still, and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Imagine the scene: a well-dressed businesswoman rushes to the conference table, arriving five minutes after the meeting’s scheduled opening. Papers scatter as she places them before her, beads of perspiration coat her brow and we hear one side of a frantic cell phone conversation.

Another woman, equally important in the company hierarchy, drops her child at day care, turns her phone to vibrate and five minutes before the scheduled opening seats herself at the conference table where her colleagues gather for planning. They relax in her confident appearance of leadership.

Both women carry heavy loads of responsibilities. Both have families and full schedules. Both know that the hours ahead may present nearly insurmountable difficulties. Without examining the reasons behind each woman’s preparation, or lack of same, perhaps there is a spiritual lesson to be learned.

Which woman do I most resemble when I meet with God each day? Do I dash into His presence wearing an attitude of, “Here I am, God, let’s get on with it.” Does my mind appear as scattered as a haystack? Or do I take a deep breath, close my “closet” door on all the whirling responsibilities of my life, sink into a chair and simply be still before Him?

God awaits and welcomes us no matter our appearance or attitude, but how much more precious to us would be the time if we prepared more thoroughly. In the 17th Century, Catharina von Schlegel wrote these words:

Be still, my soul; thy God doth undertake
To guide the future as He has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still, my soul; the waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below.

 As we get closer and closer to the busyness of Christmas, take time to be still with God.

Dear God, Remind me to come to you.  Remind me to put my rushing aside, to set down the good things I am doing and just come and be with You. Thank you for being the greatest gift of all.  Amen.

 Question: When is it hardest for you to be still?

“I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well….All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.” (Psalm 139:14, 16)

“So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Corinthians 10:31)

How many hats have you worn in the past week? You may have picked up a “nurse’s cap” as you cared for an aging parent or a family member who’s ill. Many of us wear a “chef’s cap” as we attempt to provide nutritious meals for those we love. Some days “short-order cook” might be more accurate! Chauffeur, counselor, teacher, project manager, accountant, activity director – all are common roles within our homes.

We wear hats outside of our homes as well. You may also have a career, a ministry, a role within your neighborhood or community. Our lives are busy, our relationships complex, and with each change of hat we have a new set of expectations to fit the role. Soon we can find ourselves driven by the competing expectations of others. We find ourselves under stress.

How is a woman to wear so many hats? One secret is found when we each learn how God made us. We’re not all to be gourmet chefs; not all are gifted musicians; not all are able to coordinate events for dozens of women on a shoestring budget. God has given each of us talents and abilities to use in His service. He’s also given us areas where we can learn to depend on others for their expertise. God has not called me to be you, nor has He called you to walk in my shoes.

As we learn contentment in His plan for our lives, we may find courage to remove a few ill-fitting hats. We may also find a new freedom to invest ourselves more fully in areas of our own giftedness. This brings honor to God, as we align our activities with who He made us to be. It also benefits those around us.

Lord, You are the One who designed me. You know how I’m wired and have a good plan for my life. Help me to live in accordance with Your design. Guide me as I evaluate competing expectations and priorities today, and help me honor You with the choices I make. Amen.

Question: Do you find it hard to say no? How do you keep from getting overwhelmed?

“How precious are your thoughts concerning me …” Psalm 139:17

It had been anything but a “quiet” time. Although I had closed the door and opened my Bible, my attention skittered between meetings just attended, people needs for which I felt responsible, and future events crowding the calendar. A glance at the clock too soon revealed that it was time to leave my private chamber and tend to the day’s responsibilities. “So much for spiritual preparation” was my somewhat whiny comment to God.

Then came His voice speaking into my heart—as clearly as if He had been physically standing before me: “That okay, my daughter. I just wanted to sit here with you. I’ve enjoyed our time together.”

We delude ourselves into thinking that our quiet times are primarily for our own benefit. We are intellectually aware that God is always with us, that His eye is not only on the sparrow but on each of us. We claim a personal relationship with Him yet are slow to understand much of what that means.

How different would be our attitudes if we began to learn that we come into His presence to give Him joy.

God, I am so grateful for Your personal love for me. To think that You simply desire me to be inYour presence is overwhelming. I love You.

Reflection: Sit quietly and imagine the look on God’s face as you come into His presence. What words of welcome might He be saying to you?

New to this series? Watch the introduction video here

If relationships equal time and time equal relationships, then be creative in spending time with your kids. Unusual situations that will give you the freedom to talk. Now I’m just going in a few segments share with you some of the things I’ve done. Now remember, I wasn’t creative enough to come up with all of this. I stole them from other people. I watched other fathers, I read everything I could that would give me an advantage with my child.

One thing you could do: sleep in the backyard. Get a couple sleeping bags with your son or daughter, and say, “Well, let’s sleep outdoors tonight.” You will have conversation time you never dreamed of in the backyard.

Another thing is if you have a Jacuzzi this is great. I put popcorn in a big aluminum bowl, and we put it in the center with the jets on, and it would spin around, and we sat there as a family eating popcorn out of the bowl and just had times to talk, converse, everything.

Have you ever kidnapped your child at school? Show up just before the break, clear it with the teachers, and take your child right out of the class and go do something special that they like. And kidnap them from school, and even get permission to hold them out from one class for one hour. Step into your child’s world and do things that they like. That’s when the relationships are formed.

Do unusual things to build time with your children.

Get more creative ideas for spending time with your child:

Creating Quality Time With Your Kids
Quality Time: A Family Issue

God doesn’t desire more of our time sometimes; he desires more of our attention all the time.

Ever feel frustrated because you hear messages about getting closer to God and you definitely desire this for yourself, but you are inundated with so much to do already that this only makes you feel guilty because you are too busy for God? I think we all feel this at one time or another.

Some of you may need to carve some time out of your busy schedule for more specific time to be with God, but that isn’t necessarily the only answer to this question. Look at the following Scriptures:

“I have set the Lord always before me.” Psalm 16:8
“My eyes are ever on the Lord.” Psalm 25:15
“I will extol the Lord at all times; his praise will always be on my lips.” Psalm 34:1

Reading these words makes you wonder if these are the words of a monk who had nothing else to do but devote himself to God. Actually, they are the words of David, king of Israel, a great ruler and warrior. How did he manage to run a nation and keep his eyes on the Lord at all times? The only conclusion is that he did this while he did everything else. It’s a continual awareness of God that we are talking about here, not necessarily more time devoted to spiritual pursuits.

I once saw a sign that read: “Your god is what you pay attention to.” You see, I believe you can pay attention to God while you are doing everything else. It’s all about doing everything for God and seeing God in everything we do. It’s about bringing God into the boardroom, the exercise room, the living room, and the bedroom. Now of course he’s already in all these places but we’re talking about being aware of his being there at all times. That’s what it means to set the Lord always before us.

Worship is a frame of mind that always has God in the picture. We don’t need church, or Bible study, or devotions to remind us about the Lord if we’re already aware of him all the time.

These opportunities then become more precious to us because we can devote all our attention to that which we have been aware of all along.

Question: What distractions prevent you from paying attention to God?

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“For those who are LED by the Spirit of God are the children of God” (Romans?8:14).

Think about your past week for just a moment. What has been leading you through your days?

•    Are you being led astray in your faith by the company you are keeping?

•    Are you being led by a rushing busyness that brings unrest to your heart and mind?

•    Are you being dragged by your emotions?

God calls us to be LED by the Spirit of God. But it’s not always an easy thing to wrap your mind around. Here is a tool, in the form of the acronym LED, to help you intentionally allow yourself to be LED by God’s Spirit today.

Romans 8:14 “For those who are LED by the Spirit of God are the children of God.”

1.    L- Look for His mercies

Lamentations 3:22-23 “Because of the LORD’s great love we are not consumed, for his compassions never fail.  They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.”

EVERY MORNING God’s love and faithfulness are fresh to draw upon. His care is unlimited. His plan is not for us to be “consumed” by the circumstances and cares of our day. Turn your thoughts to His love and faithfulness before our feet hit the floor in the morning and as you drift off to sleep at night.

Psalm 92:2 “It is good to proclaim your unfailing love in the morning, your faithfulness in the evening”

Sandwich your day between declaring His love afresh over you in the morning and in the evening thanking Him for His faithful care.

2.    E- Encourage daily

Hebrews 3:13 “But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.”

Take the time to get into God’s presence to allow His word to encourage your heart. Listen for His still, small voice as He nudges you to offer a word of encouragement to others as you go through your day.

All of us can be deceived by the lie, “You are all alone”. Especially at times of loss or crisis or difficult days. Our hearts can begin to harden and we need the daily encouragement of our Lord and of each other as we share the journey of life.

3.   D-Declare Thanksgiving

Psalm 50:23  “He who sacrifices thank offerings honors me, and he prepares the way so that I may show him the salvation of God.”

Thanksgiving is so much more than the trite “be thankful” or “have an attitude of gratitude”. These are good reminders to keep a thankful outlook yet thanksgiving is so much more.

It is a DOORWAY that actually opens the way for God to show His salvation, for God to amaze us and bring His plans and purposes to pass. It prepares the way for God to come into our lives and our circumstances. WOW!

Father God, today I want to be LED by Your Spirit in a fresh way. Show me Your mercies today as I look for them. Encourage my heart and show me who I can also encourage. And give me a fresh outlook of thanksgiving that I might open that door that prepares the way for Your deliverance in my life. Fill me with rejoicing and thanksgiving for all You are and for Your never-ending love and faithfulness to me. I love You Lord and I look to You to lead me this day. In the name of Jesus I pray,amen.

Questions: What has been leading you this past week? Are you being led astray in your faith by the company you are keeping? Are you being led by a rushing busyness that brings unrest to your heart and mind? Are you being dragged by your emotions?

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“Be still, and know that I am God” (Psalm 46:10).

I sat on my deck watching laundry blow on the clothes line. Sitting down hasn’t been a practice in my life lately. Responsibilities and endless deadlines keep me from relaxing.  I can get frustrated with what I call the “octopus syndrome’.  Every arm is being stretched and I feel I need more arms or better yet I need fewer deadlines!

Sometimes life’s cycles are just that.  There are times when we have no control over the situation and other times, we have brought it on ourselves. Why is life so busy? Do you experience this busyness too?

Maybe you are a mom with small children trying to juggle schedules and mommy times.  A new career position may have put on more demands than normal.  Perhaps you are pursuing education while working to pay the bills. In addition to our responsibilities, we need some fun recreation time too. In the mix of all this, is the time to worship at church or attend a small group Bible Study.  The list is endless.

What drives us to be so busy?  Do we NEED it to feel important?  Are we running away from a painful situation by keeping the schedule bulging to help forget? Is there a crisis in our family’s life that needs additional attention? When do we start to say NO and realize enough is enough?

Recently, I received an email from a childhood friend. She is dying.  Her body needs a liver and kidney.  It hit me as I began to look over the daunting schedule of my week ahead and realized that at the end of the day, it really only matters what we have invested in eternity and not what I have put on my To Do List.  That should be the foundation for every decision in my life.

My friend desires to be in Heaven with Jesus free from pain, but on the flip side she wants to stay with her family. The apostle Paul said the same thing. He writes:

“We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord. So we make it our goal to please him, whether we are at home in the body or away from it. For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that each one may receive what is due him for the things done while in the body, whether good or bad” (2 Corinthians 5:8-10).

Paul had such a desire to be obedient to the Savior on earth for what he was called to do and yet he wanted to be at “rest in the Saviors arms”.

What is on your To Do list today? I love lists and that is how I get things accomplished. Today’s society praises us more for what we do than for who we are.  What kind of legacy will we leave behind?  Would you take a few moments with me and think of some possibilities? Spend time reading books to enhance our character (that means sitting);  investing in a small group Bible study to learn more of God’s word (I know–more sitting); spending a few moments each day in the pages of Scripture; investing time with those who hurt with your listening ear. We don’t have to go far to sit in front of our computer and take an on-line Bible study course. Spend time with your spouse growing in love. Take your child on an adventure whether an outdoor picnic or a trip to the library. Book a time to go out for coffee with a girlfriend and share hearts.  This is just a start.  You have your own story and timetable.

We don’t know when we will exit this earth.  Our list needs to be filtered through the eyes of Jesus.  He will help bring balance and prioritize the schedule.  Ask what His personalized To Do list is just FOR YOU.  The One who created the earth and all the intricate time schedules of our universe can help with this list.  He is just a prayer away. Can I challenge you to make one change in your life that will make a Kingdom difference for a more balanced life? As we prioritize our life, we will feel less like an octopus and more like a human on planet earth.

Father God, I pray that as each of us asks for a new TO DO list that we will hear Your heart.  I pray that we will evaluate the most important.  Give us Your Wisdom to do the best while placed on earth.  Thank you.  In the all-powerful name of Jesus, Amen.

TAKE THE NEXT STEP:  Embracing stillness

Questions: What is one change that you can make in your life that will make a Kingdom difference for a more balanced life? Has your TO DO list been filtered through the eyes of Jesus?

About the Author Linda McCutcheon