Lost Skill, Be Still

Be Still. Are You Kidding?

The notion of stillness runs countercultural to our beings as motion pulsates all around. Life incessantly moves at a feverish pace and in order to keep up we just keep at it. In the slightest moment of pause, we grab the iphone or remote or device. Do you agree?

For a nanosecond, let’s Be Still and lean in to this reality.

Secular Consideration

Melissa Kirsch of the New York Times writes in Why We Can’t Stop Rushing, “We rush because we’re late. We also rush because we want to move quickly away from discomfort. We rush to come up with solutions to problems that would benefit from more sustained consideration. We rush into obligations or decisions or relationships because we want things settled.

Worrying is a kind of rushing: It’s uncomfortable to sit in a state of uncertainty, so we fast-forward the tape, accelerating our lives past the present moment into fearsome imagined scenarios. . . . This obsession with being done with things, of living life like an endless to-do list, is ridiculous.”

Scriptural Instruction

Yet, Scripture whispers a different trajectory. When we find ourselves amping up over a mental, physical, spiritual, emotional, financial, professional, relational heartache or headache, the Bible speaks two little words into our churning: “Be Still.”

Be Still. “The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still” (Exodus 14:14).

I’m Fighting a Battle You’ve Already Won (Shane & Shane)

Be Still. “Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him” (Psalm 37:7).

Be Still (Hillsong Worship)

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

Be Still and Know (Rosemary Siemens)

Supernatural Outcome

What potentially happens within us when we choose to Be Still?

• We recognize the sovereignty of God.

• We relinquish control.

• We release expectations.

• We actually relax.

So, for just one day, take a stand against our 21st culture and resist the urge to rush, resist the craving to control, resist the habit of hurry and rediscover the sweetness of God’s admonition, “Be Still.”

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ

whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

Why is the instruction Be Still a challenge in our culture?

Which reason speaks to you from those offered by Melissa Kirsch?

What unique challenge do you face when you seek to Be Still?

How does music help you to Be Still?

What is one step can you take to implement a lifestyle that honors this life-giving admonition in Scripture?

Consider this alternate translation of Isaiah 46:10 which reads, “Let go, relax and know that I am God.” Amazing, isn’t it?

Citrus Trees Are Tricky to Grow

Guest Post by Karen Burroughs

I’d heard that citrus trees can be a bit tricky to grow – no idea why - this is Florida after all! But the price was right, so my husband and I decided to risk purchasing a little grapefruit tree. Long story short: the few leaves it came with eventually shriveled and died. It looked downright pitiful.

At the one-year mark, we cried UNCLE, admitted defeat, and pronounced the grapefruit tree dead. If it were a person, we would have conducted a funeral for it. We had learned our lesson, accepted our loss, and admitted that Citrus Trees Are Tricky to Grow.

But then, lo and behold, what should unexpectedly appear? Shiny new leaves and three tiny green things! Mercy Minerva! The tree was alive, AND we were having triplets! But then . . . the two littlest babies fell off. Sadness. But, one hardy soul hung on. It grew and grew until it became what actually looked like an adult grapefruit.

“I fretted. Is it a grapefruit or a pomelo?”

At that point, using my app that identifies plants, I was dismayed to learn that it was not a grapefruit tree, after all, but a pomelo tree. Boo hiss! I am not a fan of pomelo fruit.

Yet, I kept wondering, who should I trust, the garden shop or my app? I fretted. Is it a grapefruit or a pomelo? Day after day we walked by it and wondered. Then, in the fullness of time, it began to turn yellow! Team Grapefruit cheered, even though pomelos remained a possibility.

So, still, we watch and we wait. As they say, “The proof is in the pudding,” tasting it!

In the meantime, I love how this little tree and its one, lone grapefruit are becoming a rich source of "parables" for me. Verses like, "By their fruit you shall know them," or “He will be like a tree which bears fruit in its season," or “Your hands made me and formed me,” take on deeper meaning.

Overall, the most enlightening lesson is the TIME involved. Our little grapefruit is taking FOREVER to ripen! It has been hanging on to that tree for MONTHS!! I never knew the ripening process was so excruciatingly long. But why should I be surprised? Case in point: ME! I have been “maturing” or ripening on the vine (John 15) for more than a few seasons now! Some seasons have been a little dry, even a little shrively. (I don’t think that’s a word, but you get where I’m going.)

God tells us to abide in the vine. Our job is to simply stay planted – for as long as it takes – no matter the weather. He is responsible for the fruit. This grapefruit tree is just being itself – doing what trees are created to be & do. And that’s all God expects of us.

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

How does this verse shed light on your spiritual growth? “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing.” (John 15:5)

When have you attempted to bring about spiritual growth using your own strength?

Consider a time when you tried to produce fruit living out the identity of someone else instead of abiding in the identity God uniquely created for you? What was it like?

Karen Burroughs, on staff with Cru, serves full time with Inside Out Jail Ministries to “water and fertilize” the hearts of incarcerated and trafficked women. She says, “I am humbled. Though outwardly I’m not yellowing (just wrinkling), inwardly I am renewed and invigorated in the fruit God is bearing in my life and in the lives of the women He has given me the privilege to know and serve.”

Don’t Be Afraid To Cry

My heart sank when I heard the news. As the shock rocked my soul, God in His kindness took me to a portion of Scripture, Psalm 107, that helped years ago. The passage felt like a familiar friend, welcoming me with open arms, and inviting me to come in.

Please join me as together we consider a powerful life lesson: Don’t Be Afraid to Cry.

The Bible’s account:

The psalmist portrays four scenarios of tragedy. 1) Some wandered homeless, 2) others sat in a self-created prison, 3) some became fools through rebellious ways, and 4) others sailed headlong into a storm at sea. In each heart wrenching situation—painful circumstances, prison chains, poor choices, and peril at sea—a pattern of deliverance emerges. Don’t Be Afraid to Cry. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.

God’s action:

He delivered them from their distress. v.6

He led them by a straight way to a city where they could settle. v.7

He brought them out of darkness and the deepest gloom and broke away their chains. v.14

He sent forth His word and healed them. v.20

He stilled the storm to a whisper; the waves of the sea were hushed. They were glad when it grew calm, and he guided them to their desired haven. v.30

Our application:

1. When life hits you hard (whether from your own choices or the choices of others) Don’t Be Afraid to Cry. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.

2. When we find ourselves helplessly tossed in storm-swirling realities, dependable navigation comes from the Scriptures. Don’t Be Afraid to Cry. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.

3. When we come to the end of ourselves, when we cry out to the Lord, He hears and He delivers! Don’t Be Afraid to Cry. Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble.

“Whoever is wise, let him heed these things and consider the great love of the Lord” (Psalm 107: 43).

Living With Eternal Intentionality®

“And this is eternal life, that they may know You the only true God, and Jesus Christ

whom You have sent” (John 17:3).

What is most striking to you about this passage of Scripture?

Why do we hesitate to cry out to God?

Which situation is harder for you, poor choices of your own that bring you heartache or the choices of others that bring about your pain? Why?

What happens when we cry out to God?