Be Still and Know

John David’s Monday Morning Back Page

Be Still and Know

It is interesting to see where my mind goes when I step outside of my comfort zone,

and discover what Spirit, through scripture, has to say about the spaces I have chosen to live in.

One of my favorite passages in scripture encourages us to take time out and get away from whatever “normal” is a nd “Be still and know that I am God.” The more I live in that passage the more I come to comprehend the depth of that “I am.” I can measure the quality of my relationships with a person by how comfortable I am in silence with them. In this moment it seems that these are two sides of the same coin.

As we rebuild the physical as well as the spiritual parts of the church I find myself, in response to questions about what we are going to do about (fill in the blank) it was not uncommon to respond by saying some version of “Let’s sit here and let the room/issue/ministry tell us what it is called to be.” It has been interesting to discover the power of the “be still” moment. The more I allow myself to “be still” the more it becomes possible to “know” my surroundings, environment, people, and myself. Being still is my opportunity to become more aware.

This morning I am in something of a “retreat” setting far away from my normal setting. There are many things going on in my mind and spirit just now. The memorial service for Rev. Dr. David Stewart, one of my mentors is today but I am far way and not able to be present for the celebration of his life. It was he who alerted me to what has become an important area of service, that of serving the men and women in uniform. One of David’s areas of service was with the Civil Air Patrol. Today I am in an old building with lots of history in it. I have been told that there is a safe here. Over the years many people have looked for it. So far no one has found it.

Earlier today I was led to sit in front of one of the fireplaces and let the site and my thoughts talk to me. As I did that I became aware that there were several mysteries here. The safe is only one of them. There is, for instance, a door on the outside that leads nowhere. Inside the house that area has been closed off. It is a solid wall. In the fireplace room the entry way leading to the dining room is duplicated on the other side of the fireplace. Instead of leading into another room the area has been created to hold shelves that display artwork, books and other “homey” kinds of things. The more I looked at this particular room the more it offered clues about why no one has found the safe. Not everything was what it appeared to be. I was, in essence, being told to look beyond the obvious if I wanted to discover the safe and perhaps other mysteries. I wandered around the house for a while and saw many evidences of what Paul Harvey would call “The rest of the story.” Walls that appeared to be solid were not. Floors that appeared to be a solid surface were not.

When I think of myself and people I know we are similar to this building. A person who appears to be arch conservative or liberal for instance, often displays a side which reflects the exact opposite of that higher profile persona. A child can sometimes be described as “7 going on 35.” To a person who did not know him, in his uniform as a Civil Air Patrol officer David Stewart could appear formal and distant. Spend only a few moments with him, wearing the uniform or in civilian clothing, and you know him to be a wise and generous man. He shared the experiences of his life with me in ways that I shall be forever grateful. I am sometimes stunned when I discover that my strong “live and let live” spirit is occasionally put aside for a “this is the way it is” spirit. It takes “being still” with ourselves and each other to know the complexities that are within each of us.

As I reflect on this experience I am invited to become gentler with myself and others. Until I have been still with someone there is much I do not know about them. This gives “walking in the shoes of someone else” greater meaning. Given that we are so oriented to sound, talking and activity it may require me to be still with that person without them with me physically. It will be interesting to see how my relationships develop as I become a more dedicated practitioner in the art of being still.

Thanks God. You have given me the plan.

I choose to get busy and work YOUR plan.

John-David @ thelajohndavid@gmail.com

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