Be Still and Know: It Works.

I have a bronze plaque in my living room that says, "Be still and know." It was ordered from a catalogue several years ago because I wanted a visual reminder that perpetual motion of mind or body is not a good thing. Plaque or no plaque, reminder or no reminder, I'm still not great at it. I do keep trying, though, and there's even been some improvement.

I was driving from Utah to Illinois with my husband shortly before our marriage when I received my first installment of what I like to call the "being still" lesson. We were traveling with his brother, and I'm really dating myself when I say that all three of us sat in the front seat. Halfway through the trip, my (now) brother-in-law did something bizarre. Emitting a crazed shriek, he suddenly pounced on my knee, seizing it in a grip that literally turned his knuckles white. When I looked over at him, my expression yelling "What's your problem, dude?" at the top of its voice, he managed to explain himself pretty well. I'd been jiggling my knee non-stop at high speed for several hours, and he had finally lost his ability to withstand my inability to be still. I, on the other hand, had not even realized I was moving! Even more interesting is this: As the ride continued, the moment I stopped focusing on keeping that knee still was the moment it would start jiggling again. My constant movement had become involuntary, almost like a reflex. 

I spent the rest of the trip trying to master the newfound challenge of being still, with my (now) husband laughing and smiling smugly at his brother as if they were partners in some kind of endurance test. "Yep, she never stops moving,"he kept saying (or variations on that theme). Needless to say, it was a long drive, but it did teach me something about myself.

I wonder how many of us never stop moving, not just physically but spiritually, and are completely unaware of it. There must be more than a few or there wouldn't be a scripture on the subject, right? One thing's for sure, I didn't have a clue...and sometimes I still don't. I do keep trying, though. 

Today I'm trying my very best to be spiritually still as I await the results (due this afternoon) of my friend's pathology testing. Why? Because being still works. Not only does it help me remember who God is, but it helps me remember who God isn't. (ME.)

And that's a great concept...which means I'll just keep on trying my best to Be still. And know. And pray. And listen. 

And learn, too. Because, while I may be a slow learner, on days like this I actually begin to feel like I'm getting there.