the comfort of quiet
I stood alone on a bridge tonight.
I've gotten into the nightly ritual of going for a power walk and thinking. Sometimes my mom goes along and we have a good talk, but not tonight. Tonight it was just me, the melodies rolling around in my head, and the ground beneath me. On my return to the house, I stopped on a bridge I usually just walk over. (Okay I'll admit it, I'm usually too busy avoiding the mysterious noises that seem to meander from the woods around me to stop and appreciate it).
I stood there noticing how quietly four little ducks could swim, and how the nearby houses and trees silently kissed their reflection on the water. It stood perfectly still, and in the cool air I heard Fall whisper her first appearance. I consciously enjoyed every fresh breath and realized something. There's really nothing quite like a settled soul.
I've had a lot going on lately. (Who hasn't?) My job keeps me busy during the day, and my mind buzzing at night. I want to have adequate family time and yet yearn for those still moments alone. And let's not even talk about the personal life which sometimes feels more like a cat-and-mouse game of emotions and reason. There is always something.
Standing there drinking in the evening and taking note of the quietness of my own heart, I smiled. I smiled because I couldn't help taking a second to think of all the things I wasn't thinking about at that particular moment. The Stock Market. New shoes. Watching a movie. Pre-writing this blog in my mind. Talking on the phone. Doing something really 'important.' Nothing. I was just standing there listening to myself be. And I liked it.
I finished my walk in a gentle rain, but it didn't bother me. The way I felt right then, a storm could have brewed up and the smile would still have lasted the rest of the walk home.
Moments like that make every hurried, stressed out, what-should-I-do-with-my-life moment tolerable. Scripture reminds us to 'Be still and know that He is God.'
It's in those simple, tender moments that God can reveal to us His sovereign power to shape and form our lives into something beautiful. Finding time in a day to settle our hearts can be tough, especially when slowing down coincides with nodding off. But if we'll make a conscious effort to ask for God's help in finding a place of contentment, it'll get easier to find that place... and you can take a trip there much easier.
Solve the world's traumas tomorrow. Take a minute and just be still.
I've gotten into the nightly ritual of going for a power walk and thinking. Sometimes my mom goes along and we have a good talk, but not tonight. Tonight it was just me, the melodies rolling around in my head, and the ground beneath me. On my return to the house, I stopped on a bridge I usually just walk over. (Okay I'll admit it, I'm usually too busy avoiding the mysterious noises that seem to meander from the woods around me to stop and appreciate it).
I stood there noticing how quietly four little ducks could swim, and how the nearby houses and trees silently kissed their reflection on the water. It stood perfectly still, and in the cool air I heard Fall whisper her first appearance. I consciously enjoyed every fresh breath and realized something. There's really nothing quite like a settled soul.
I've had a lot going on lately. (Who hasn't?) My job keeps me busy during the day, and my mind buzzing at night. I want to have adequate family time and yet yearn for those still moments alone. And let's not even talk about the personal life which sometimes feels more like a cat-and-mouse game of emotions and reason. There is always something.
Standing there drinking in the evening and taking note of the quietness of my own heart, I smiled. I smiled because I couldn't help taking a second to think of all the things I wasn't thinking about at that particular moment. The Stock Market. New shoes. Watching a movie. Pre-writing this blog in my mind. Talking on the phone. Doing something really 'important.' Nothing. I was just standing there listening to myself be. And I liked it.
I finished my walk in a gentle rain, but it didn't bother me. The way I felt right then, a storm could have brewed up and the smile would still have lasted the rest of the walk home.
Moments like that make every hurried, stressed out, what-should-I-do-with-my-life moment tolerable. Scripture reminds us to 'Be still and know that He is God.'
It's in those simple, tender moments that God can reveal to us His sovereign power to shape and form our lives into something beautiful. Finding time in a day to settle our hearts can be tough, especially when slowing down coincides with nodding off. But if we'll make a conscious effort to ask for God's help in finding a place of contentment, it'll get easier to find that place... and you can take a trip there much easier.
Solve the world's traumas tomorrow. Take a minute and just be still.
posted by Amber | 10:15 PM
4 Comments:
His burden is light, His yoke is easy....Im with you dood, suck it in, take it all in...I particularly enjoyed the part that you had no thought, a no pre-writing blog thought...I GET THOSE TOO!!....i cracked at that....thanks for da gifts doood, I was blessed beyond belief tonight..love ya....jon
Everyone needs a bridge so they can reflect on their past and future tense.
People capable of possessing a 'yielding spirit' often save themselves physically and emotionally. I have learned that if you wait long enough and not be so quick to correct or try to change a situation, solving life's traumas will work themselves out on their own.
"I stood alone on a bridge tonight." I think this would make the perfect first line of a song.
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