Be Still

“Be still and know that I am God.”

Life is loud. 

Even if we stripped away
…the tv and radio
…the dishwasher
…the washing machine & the dryer
…the mixer
…the vent hood over the stove
…the timers
…the phones

We are still surrounded by
…voices
…bodies moving about
…children laughing and crying
…bare feet slapping across a hard floor
… a page scraping as it turns
…computer keys clacking
…the sniffing of a runny nose
and these are just the noises we make ourselves.

So how are we able to obey and “be still?”

The best time for quiet, for me to be able to be still is before everyone else gets up in the morning.  This is pretty early – my daughters are quite the morning people and tend to be up between 6 and 7.  The girls are about 3 and 1.5…so there’s no leaving them to their own devices!

So when do I have to get up?  Early.  Stinking early.

I tried for eight weeks…maybe longer, to get up early so that I could “Be still” and know that He is God.  And for eight long weeks, my batting average was HORRIBLE. 
And I beat myself up…daily.
Ugh.

And then Grace stepped in and said, “My strength is made perfect in weakness.”
“[You] can do all things through Christ who gives [you] strength.”

I finally gave in.
I told the Lord that I wanted to be with Him in the quiet, but if He wanted me up, He was going to have to wake me up!

And He did.

I set my alarm for a time that I thought was reasonable.  He woke me up earlier to a baby crying. 
“It’s too early!” I thought, as I crawled back into bed after getting her down. 
So He got me up again.  I stayed up that time.

The next day, He woke me up earlier…and I cooperated that time.

And now, it’s getting easier. 
It’s worth it.
And I am able to “Be still and know that [He] is God.”
And it is good.

In Him, Carrie