“How much more will hasty feet miss the way!” (Proverbs 19:2 NIV)
The further I foray into this year of stillness, the more I’m convinced. Cultivating a soul that moves at the speed of God might be my most crucial task to date.
Once a month or so, I sit down with a group of ladies at the local library to discuss a book we’ve selected. I’m the youngest in the group by a long shot; the median age in the room is probably sixty-five with me dragging it down considerably. I love our discussions because we cover everything: values, motives, family dynamics, habits, decisions, politics, religion. Nothing is of the table with these ladies, but still we remain respectful. Our conversations are stimulating and stretching. The life experience and wisdom in the room is dizzying to me: I find it a privilege to bear witness to these women. The way I figure it, well over a thousand years of collective living is gathered and gifted each time we meet.
Last week we were dissecting The Overstory when one of the ladies shared how there are two halves of life. She expounded: the first half is all busyness: learning, growing, achieving, collecting, producing, consuming. But the second half is markedly slower: it is the sacred space where one finally makes peace with stillness. A chorus of ladies agreed and one wise woman posted out how there is no timetable for the transition between the two halves of life. Each person arrives on their own terms, and truly some never make peace with the quiet.
I had an aha moment in that meeting space. See, at age 43 I have somehow already arrived at the second half of life. And it’s okay, even a gift that God has given me. After years of living at breakneck speeds, He has invited me into this out-of-the-way place with Him. Together, we are sorting through the accoutrements of my first four decades. We are making peace with my past.
You may remember, but my word for 2022 is still. This year I am learning to live still: forging new habits of holding steady to hear from my Maker. I am stretching in still: quietly persevering even when results are insufficient. I am understanding the faithfulness of God still: adjusting to the nevertheless nature of my loving Father.
I am fully persuaded, this year’s primer is essential. If our life is upheld by the habits we hold, making space for God to speak is most critical. The patterns I’m laying today will prove to be invaluable over time. As I test the waters on this second half of life; it is His current I seek, His paddle I reach for, and His companionship I keep.
“He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted above the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10 NIV)
Lord, thank You for calling us to stillness. We gain so much when we sit with You. Give us courage in the silence and patience in the seeking. You are worth the wait. The insights we gain when we meet Your pace are matchless. May we mark time with You today. Amen.