“Be still and know that I am God.” —Psalm 46:10
Thanks for being here! Today, we’re continuing our series about interacting with others in love. Do you remember our key phrase? If not, here’s a quick reminder:
Be still and listen, then respond with love.
Today, we’re going to focus on those first two words: Be still. What does it look like to be still? And what benefits do we reap from it? That’s what today’s blog post is all about!
We live in a busy world. There are so many things that are constantly pulling on us and competing for our attention. I don’t know about you, but when I turn on the news and see everything going on in the world, it can steal my happiness.
The truth is that we need to turn the noise off.
We need to learn to be still. That’s the only way we’ll be able to hear a word from God and truly listen to those around us. Stillness is the first step to healthy interaction.
When I think of the word “still,” I think of calmness, tranquility, and peace. Here’s a more formal definition of the word:
still — to become motionless or silent
Stillness is a concept that we’re not too familiar with in our world, and it takes a lot for us to get the point of being still. But there’s a story from the Bible that I think really helps us understand what stillness is all about.
It comes from Luke 10:38-42. Let’s read it together:
Now as they went on their way, Jesus entered a village. And a woman named Martha welcomed him into her house. And she had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet and listened to his teaching. But Martha was distracted with much serving. And she went up to him and said, “Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her then to help me.”
But the Lord answered her, “Martha, Martha, you are anxious and troubled about many things, but one thing is necessary. Mary has chosen the good portion, which will not be taken away from her.”
Martha was busy doing the work that she thought was necessary. She was cooking, she was cleaning, she was trying to make the experience great for her visitors. But in the midst of all that work, she forgot the most important thing. She neglected to be still.
Mary, on the other hand, she got it. She was sitting with Jesus, absorbing his teachings like a sponge. She was intentional about spending her time with Jesus and being still and quiet in His presence.
Do you see how Mary chose the correct approach?
Now let me ask you: Are you more of a Mary or more of a Martha?
I can definitely see myself falling more into the Martha camp. I’m very dedicated to the work that I do.
It’s easy for us for to get engulfed in our work. But the truth is that when we’re only focused on our jobs, we aren’t working with the right frame of mind. Our work can’t bring us true fulfillment because at the end of the, nothing we create can last forever.
Last week, I accomplished something at work I’d never done before. I went up in a boom lift to measure for a job. I was 50 feet up in the air! I overcame my fear of heights and did what I would say is good work. It was great!
But once I got back on the ground, that feeling went away. The truth is that even when the job is finished and everything looks nice and perfect, my accomplishment won’t last forever. It’s not permanent, and so that feeling of fulfillment I get from my work is only temporary.
I’m not saying it isn’t important to work; it certainly is. But I am saying that work isn’t the most important thing. Our relationships, both with other people and with God, matter far more. In fact, they matter the most.
Work is important, but it’s more important that we learn to be still and fully present with others. We have the opportunity to build a lasting, peaceful, fulfilling life, but it won’t happen if we don’t learn to be still. Mary understood that.
Stillness is important in our spiritual lives. We can’t hear from God if we’re too busy talking ourselves. It’s only in the stillness that we’re able to listen to Him.
I was driving recently and feeling a little overwhelmed with everything I have on my plate. But instead of worrying or getting upset, I chose to still myself and just be present with God. I stopped talking and truly opened myself up to hearing from Him. And you know what happened? He spoke.
I suddenly felt this peace come over me, and I heard Him say (not audibly, but still clearly), “I’ve got this.” And that was all I needed to stay encouraged and carry on.
How many times do we not allow God to do that for us because we’re acting like Martha instead of Mary? We can only have those moments with God when we learn to be still. To tune out the noise. To stop speaking ourselves. To truly present ourselves calm and still before God.
We also need stillness in our relationships with other people, and that’s really what this series is all about. In order to truly have a conversation and a connection with someone, you must be able to actually listen to them. And listening requires stillness.
When we don’t have that peace and tranquility within us that stillness brings, we can’t have productive conversations with others. We become combative and defensive, convinced of our own rightness. Can I tell you a secret? No one is right 100% of the time—not me, not you, not anyone. And so we need to be open to what others have to say.
So instead of constantly talking or thinking about the next thing we’re going to say, how about we stop for a second? Take a breath. Calm down. Choose to be still. You’ll be amazed at what a little bit of stillness can do for your mental state and your ability to converse with others.
It might seem so simple, but it’s something we all struggle with in our day-to-day lives. Being still is not in our nature, and it’s definitely not what our society teaches us to do. But if we can overcome those things and choose it be still despite all the noise around us, we’ll be much better prepared to interact with other people.
That’s where it all starts: stillness. It’s something we each need to work on. I hope that this week, you’ll take the time to consider the importance of being still and how you can better practice stillness in your own life. It’s so important for every relationship in our lives.
Once we’re still, the next step in the process is listening. That’s the topic of our next blog post, so I hope you’ll come back next week and continue this series with us! Have a great week.
To your fitness!