Learning to be still in a new place

I am very bad at being still.  Especially in America, it’s all too easy to get swept up in the frantic busyness of our daily lives, living and dying by our task lists, with little margin for stillness.  But I’m learning that stillness is of utmost importance to our health and development, that our Creator knew what he was talking about when he said “Be still, and know that I am God.”

Realizing that God is God and I am not is the prerequisite of stillness.  The world, even my little universe, does not revolve around or depend on me.  Thank God for that!  When I fully grasp this truth, I can find rest in Him.  I can relax and let go.

Our former pastor likes to say “a change of place plus a change of pace equals a change of perspective.”  Perspective, such a critical word in the English language and to personal well-being.  Our move to the other side of the world, into a culture far different from our own, constitutes a significant change of place, and this weekend of acclamation has been a welcome change of pace, even stillness at times, that which has previously proved so elusive and fleeting.

At church this morning, I was blessed to experience my first African worship service in an outdoor setting, struck by the songs of birds, gorgeous foliage and a peaceful breeze.  It was the perfect environment for worship, for praise, for perspective, for stillness.  How awesome to worship alongside other humans created in the image of God who reminded me in a new way of the grandness and diversity of the world in which we live.

Starting tomorrow, the pace of life in Uganda will quicken considerably, and that is a good thing.  In order to faithfully execute the work that God has prepared for us to do here, we will work hard, as working for Him.  Yet we can be still, in heart and mind and at times in body.  That is how we were created, to depend on a big God and not ourselves, to view life – its joys, sorrows, trials and triumphs – with God’s eternal perspective.  It’s amazing how small we and our greatest concerns are in the shadow of a mighty, loving and gracious God.

As someone who thrives on being on the go, packing the schedule and soaking every drop out of any given day, I need a lot of work in the stillness (or chillaxing if you will) department.  I appreciate the encouragement legendary basketball coach Jimmy Valvano offered in his indelible 1993 speech just before succumbing to cancer.  He said one of the three things we should do every day is think, really spend some time in thought.  Far too many days have passed without me truly stopping to think, to smell the roses and appreciate life.

May this change of scenery and new rhythm help me learn to be still.  May we all, wherever we are, practice being still this week.  I think we’ll be amazed at what we find, what a difference that can make.  It’s just what the Creator ordered.