Learning to be Still
By Kaytie Graham
I recently experienced a “crisis.” As I was driving home from work, I looked down to notice that my cell phone had fallen into my glass of water. It was barely submerged in water, but I don’t deny that my heart started pounding. Quickly, I grabbed the phone and began shaking the water out. To my dismay, the screen suddenly went dark and wouldn’t turn on.
The next three hours of my life should not have been so stressful, but it seemed that I had lost control. I wanted to send a text message to my husband to let him know of my predicament, but couldn’t. I was en route to pick up an order and couldn’t retrieve the confirmation number that had been stored on my phone. A good friend was on her way to meet me for dinner, and she couldn’t reach me. I was waiting on an e-mail and couldn’t respond quickly. Such thoughts consumed me, and my blood started to boil!
After a while, I calmed down and made it home to put my phone into a bag of uncooked rice, hoping to salvage it. (And it worked!)
Afterward, I began to think and reflect. I realized that I had let something as menial as a cell phone consume my thoughts. I had failed to remember that even without a phone I could talk to my God and appreciate his love for me and the blessings he gives me daily. Instead of thinking about the peace God promises when I rely on him, I had found myself focused on my “crisis.”
You know, I often have a heart like Martha. She stressed over the smallest of things even in the presence of Jesus! While Martha was fussing, Jesus told her in Luke 10:41-42 to calm down. He said, “You are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed.” What a wonderful reminder, that each of us only needs ONE thing: to sit like Mary at the feet of Jesus and listen.
So, my little ordeal with my cell phone has given me a resolve to slow down and be still from time to time. My desire is to refocus my life around God’s Word rather than a phone that orchestrates my days and wakes me up in the morning. Psalm 46:10 lays the foundation for peace through its simple words, “Be still and know that I am God.”
Take some time to slow down this spring, enjoy the beautiful season, and let the Lord speak to you. When you feel like fussing or, like me, your blood starts to boil, be still, join me at the feet of Jesus and just listen to him.
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