The Art of Being Still
There is something I enjoy doing more and more as I get older, and it's to bird watch. As my God-given responsibilities, children's extracurricular activities, and life's daily requirements grow, I seem to never have time for it anymore. I'm a pretty hyper-organized person. Two planners, one for personal, one for business, and a Google Calendar with every hour of my day accounted for. As my Google Calendar becomes filled to a less-than-desirable state, I find myself longing to find just a moment to escape outside alone and look up to the sky.
To some, it may seem like a boring waste of a few good minutes to want to watch some birds take flight into the evening air, but for me, its meaning is much deeper than that. One of the first scriptures I ever read that took root in my heart was Matthew 6:26: "Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?" In one scripture, you can see his love and value for each of his children, his character of how He's a father who provides, and the glory of God's ability to handle the vastness that is this world without effort.
Through one scripture and my awe of these simple creatures, God shifted my entire posture on how I navigate life and how I have come to know him. He knows this. He knows the things that bring me comfort when I become overwhelmed in the sweeping tasks of my day-to-day.
So, today, after being up since five, preparing children for school, dropping them each off at their destinations, spending six hours in lectures on immunology, making a Sam's trip for a monthly restock, and collecting my babies, I found myself completely uninspired to cook anything. With the thought of looming bath time routines, story times, and a minimum of three hours in my home office to complete the day's remaining tasks take-out was simply the only option. So, without hesitation, I grabbed my keys and headed out the door to collect some Mexican food for the win.
When I pulled into the parking lot and saw the line wrapping around the building, I decided to pull into a spot to get my order together before hopping into the line. Overwhelm seemed to sneak into my consciousness, and before I knew it, I found my head resting on the steering wheel, seeking a breath. With only three and a half months left in school, I just had to breathe and focus on the finish line. This season brought more than I expected but His glory and plans for my life would prevail none the less. I need only to endure. I lifted my head off the wheel when my eyes caught a glimpse of a flock of birds dancing across the sky , their wings seemingly in sync with one another. The heaviness I had been feeling slowly began to lift, and my heart smiled at the sight. I continued to look, and they continued to come. As I gazed into the sky, I saw how beautiful the sunset was. It was golden and one of the ones that displayed layers of pink and purple hues beneath its glow. The birds gracefully leaped within my view, one flock at a time. In that moment, I decided to be still.
I sat and watched the beautiful show my Father was putting on just for me. In the hustle and bustle of all that was going on, He knew how to catch my attention and invite me into a moment with Him, one where I got to delight in His artwork and presence. He found me in the chaos, and I decided to honor His efforts and just be with Him. So I sat. I sat like Mary at his feet. I sat and forgot the formalities and the day's worries. I sat for thirty minutes and just watched the birds and let my heart speak to Him of the love I felt for Him and the thankfulness of who He is.
Life can be heavy. HE KNOWS THIS. Sometimes, He requires you to seek him out and invites you to drop everything to get to know him. But sometimes He meets you right in the middle of where you are and invites you into a moment with Him. He stills time and does something just for you, to bring you joy and comfort and let you know He is a God who sees, loves, and enjoys relationship with each of His children. Either way, I encourage you to prioritize stopping it all to just seek His face. Let Him show you His love and grace. Reject the lies that tell you He doesn't want to spend time with you, that He's upset with you, that He wouldn't do the exact same thing just for you, and be reminded of the truth. He is love. Through the blood of Jesus Christ, we are all seen by Him as his children, and He delights in our desire to come home. We are all prodigal sons to Him. We are all His children that He would drop everything to run to us, if we'll just come home.
No matter what we've done.
No matter our mistakes.
He's just happy we want to come home, and He's waiting to just sit with us, if we'll just sit with Him.
Will you pause and just sit with Him? He’s waiting to tell you beautiful and wonderful things you do not know, if you’re willing to just sit.