Just Be Still
Every now and then in life, you need a moment to be still. No talking, no tv, no music, no book, no laptop, no cell phone. Just you, and God.
My favorite way to be still is to enjoy rain. Sometimes it's dancing in it, sometimes it's walking in it, sometimes it's sitting on the balcony listening to it, sometimes it's curled up in bed hearing it pound against the window pane. At the Festaburg, I sat on the balcony and stared at the trees through the rain, enjoying my tea in the absolute silence. Tonight, I sat on my balcony here, listening to the rain on the tin parking covers, and enjoying my steaming mug of chamomile tea. The rain is over now, but I'm still out here enjoying the dripping from the roofs and trees, the smell of renewal and wet earth.
Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." It is times like these that, no matter how busy my mind has been, I can calm it down and focus on nothing but the sounds and smells and feel of this beautiful nature that God has created - even in the middle of a metropolis like Phoenix. Most places in earth, rain is nothing to marvel at. Here in Phoenix, it is a reminder indeed that God will be exalted in the earth. Watching the thunder and lightning play over the mountains is such a visual reminder of His evidence and majesty.
It's at times like these that I miss living in Germany with a powerful ache. Right now I am reminded of a walk I took one evening. There was a wald, a forest, near my little town that had a perfect walking path. It was completely enclosed by trees, and as you walked you could smell the color green, the moist loam, the life thriving throughout. You'd rarely get wet walking, as the trees hung overhead, but you could hear the water dripping from the leaves, trickling into small streams. My friend Lauren had come to visit, and we were walking through these woods, not talking much, just enjoying the richness of the forest and the beauty of the evening rain, delightin in the wonderful world that our God created. We came across a stable, lanterns lit outside, and it was like something from a fairytale. We continued on as evening lengthened slowly into darkness, the occasional bat flying overhead. At my favorite footbridge, we stopped and watched the rain play across the water, breathing in the smells and soaking up the silence. We hardly to disturb the profound peace, the stillness, with words. Once home, we sat with windows open and steaming cups of smoky tea, and talked and talked. But there was that shared stillness, that brought us just as close as heart-to-heart talks.
My favorite way to be still is to enjoy rain. Sometimes it's dancing in it, sometimes it's walking in it, sometimes it's sitting on the balcony listening to it, sometimes it's curled up in bed hearing it pound against the window pane. At the Festaburg, I sat on the balcony and stared at the trees through the rain, enjoying my tea in the absolute silence. Tonight, I sat on my balcony here, listening to the rain on the tin parking covers, and enjoying my steaming mug of chamomile tea. The rain is over now, but I'm still out here enjoying the dripping from the roofs and trees, the smell of renewal and wet earth.
Psalm 46:10 says, "Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth." It is times like these that, no matter how busy my mind has been, I can calm it down and focus on nothing but the sounds and smells and feel of this beautiful nature that God has created - even in the middle of a metropolis like Phoenix. Most places in earth, rain is nothing to marvel at. Here in Phoenix, it is a reminder indeed that God will be exalted in the earth. Watching the thunder and lightning play over the mountains is such a visual reminder of His evidence and majesty.
It's at times like these that I miss living in Germany with a powerful ache. Right now I am reminded of a walk I took one evening. There was a wald, a forest, near my little town that had a perfect walking path. It was completely enclosed by trees, and as you walked you could smell the color green, the moist loam, the life thriving throughout. You'd rarely get wet walking, as the trees hung overhead, but you could hear the water dripping from the leaves, trickling into small streams. My friend Lauren had come to visit, and we were walking through these woods, not talking much, just enjoying the richness of the forest and the beauty of the evening rain, delightin in the wonderful world that our God created. We came across a stable, lanterns lit outside, and it was like something from a fairytale. We continued on as evening lengthened slowly into darkness, the occasional bat flying overhead. At my favorite footbridge, we stopped and watched the rain play across the water, breathing in the smells and soaking up the silence. We hardly to disturb the profound peace, the stillness, with words. Once home, we sat with windows open and steaming cups of smoky tea, and talked and talked. But there was that shared stillness, that brought us just as close as heart-to-heart talks.
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