Be Still

Psalms 16:11 NKJV

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

School is out!  Summer is here!  For many of us, the summer time signals the end of a busy school year and the transition to a less demanding schedule.  For others, summer presents no reprieve as the busyness of life continues right through the season. But, even if we are working or taking summer classes, or both…for some reason, the summer just feels different.  Most see the summer as a time of relaxation and recreation.  No matter what your summer schedule looks like, the encouragement I would like to offer today is to use this season as an opportunity to spend dedicated time before the Lord. 

It’s so easy to get caught up in day-to-day of life that we begin to operate on an automatic routine of one task to the other.  Or, we can be in relaxation mode to the degree that we become idle and slothful, filling our time with activities that bring no lasting satisfaction or contentment.  How easy is it to binge watch Netflix or to scroll Instagram only to look up hours later and not be able to account for where the time went? 

If you had a particularly stressful spring semester, it can be very tempting to just let down and do nothing all summer as the prize for just making it through.  The Lord encourages us to be still in His presence, not to do nothing.  When we get before the Lord and allow Him to order our day, we achieve flow.  Flow is a concept where it seems time is suspended and everything is moving together in a seamless way.  Real flow can only occur through the Holy Spirit after we have spent time being still with the Lord.

When we are still with purpose, seeking the Lord and His will for us each day, all the anxiety and overwhelming feeling that can creep in melts away.  For those of us that are being too still, the Lord inspires us to be productive in the things that please Him.  So, in this season, no matter if you are too busy or too still, take time to be still before the Lord.  He strengthens and calms our hearts and fills us with joy that actually brings real peace and fulfillment.  

Psalms 16:11 NKJV

You will show me the path of life;

In Your presence is fullness of joy;

At Your right hand are pleasures forevermore.