Monday Musing - Be Still

 

Easter Sunrise Service Bird - 2024

For several weeks I've been writing and rewriting a blog entry because I know it has been forever and a day that I have posted something. In fact, when I mentioned something the other day, my sister even commented it had been awhile since she saw something. I've been wanting to write about my mother in some way, but found it hard. And didn't want to make everyone cry with what I wrote, myself included. I'm having a tough enough time writing what I will be saying at her memorial service.

But last week I had the opportunity to write a 5 minute devotion. The New York Annual Conference Board of Laity hosts 6 weeks of morning time with God through a devotion, reading, music - whatever the person in charge of the day chooses. And I was asked to share this year on behalf of my district. I wrote something - which I read to one other person who was on the call. So I figured, you know what, I'll share this!

So with that said....

Psalm 46:10a (NRSV): "Be still, and know that I am God!"

The theme for General Conference and our own Annual Conference this year is “…And Know that I am God” which is the tail end of the first sentence of Psalm 46 verse 10. But I wanted to spend some time on the first two words of that sentence, because we may not take it into consideration sometimes.  “Be still.”

We are so busy, even when we try not to be busy, we are so busy. A month ago, I took a week off after my mother passed away. My plan was to take care of myself. To just sit. To reflect on my mother. To rest. To be in prayer. To be around for my family. To “be still.”

But instead, my sister and I met with the funeral home. I met with people from my congregation to start planning a Children’s Day service. I waited for the funeral home to call saying my mother’s remains were ready. That went on for two days. I went into work to take some scheduled photos. I went to church to lead a Church Council meeting. One day I went to church twice, once to plan my mother’s memorial service and then again later in the day to prepare our chancel area for our choir and to attend choir rehearsals. Plus, I still got up every morning like I was going to work so that I could get my father with Alzheimer's ready for the day with an aide who stays with him. And I had my dog constantly wanting attention because I was home and available to her. There was nothing about “being still” in all that.            

There is so much that clamors for our attention each day that no matter what we do to try to “be still” we can’t just “be still.” We check our phones to see if we have an email. And we may say that we will reply later if we see something that catches our attention, but thinking of the response or thinking about the email waiting to be replied to occupies your brain. I have a terrible habit that when I am trying to read something I break up the reading by playing a game on my phone or checking to see if there are any more cute dog or cat reels on Facebook. And forget about finding a place where you may say you will spend time in prayer or quiet contemplation so you can listen for God’s voice. I do it all the time. A nice quiet place communing with nature that God created – the perfect environment to sit and “be still.” Yet there I am dragging my phone out to take a photo or a video or to share said photos/videos with a friend.

As I write this, I’m working on a laptop with a sticker that I have put there that says, “Be still and know that I am God” yet I still struggle with being still, even with the daily reminder right in front of my face and literally at my fingertips. Being still is hard. And I’m sure there are some people out there in the world who have it figured out. Maybe someone listening here is able to find those moments to “be still.”

But maybe, just maybe, with God’s help we will be able to find those moments to “be still and know that I am God.”