There may have been something to the verse, “Be still and know that I am God”.
Be still!
I guess 2,000 years ago mankind was too busy too:-)
Yesterday I found myself in an unusually situation.
I was taking Jack to a composition class and the other two were home with Kelly.
I had accidentally left my journal (gasp) and iphone (double gasp) on the counter at home.
I don’t go anywhere…I mean ANYWHERE without my phone and journal.
If we hadn’t been running later (shocker) I would have turned around but I didn’t have any time to spare.
I have to admit that I constantly felt like I was missing something without my phone on me.
I think I MAY have an addiction problem to my phone.
After I dropped Jack off for his class I quickly went to run an errand and found myself with about 15 minutes before his class was out.
15 minutes.
Hmmmmm.
I have no phone.
I have no journal.
Nice grass.
I need a manicure.
The kids really need to clean out this car.
What is that smell?
After I wasted a minute and realized I had nothing to really do I thought how I never have no kids with me, real quiet, no phone……I didn’t have ANY distractions!
I decided to pray.
Even though I feel like I talk to the Lord and pray throughout the day I have to be honest that I am not always quiet for a response.
Maybe that is life with young children.
Maybe that is all my doing and talking.
Whatever the reason I am the kind of person that has to be completely without distractions to focus. Really focus.
The other mother waiting for her own son may have stared at me off and on the whole time. May.
Luckily I was a little incognito with my sunglasses on so no one would think I was dead.
I closed my eyes and just asked the Lord to speak to me.
I promised that I would be quiet and even try REAL HARD not to talk too.
Sorry, I have a talking problem:-)
It was the sweetest 15 minutes.
So many things were spoken into my spirit.
The Lord pointed something out about what were are going through with my mom and dad’s divorce and I had never consciously realized it but it was true.
Something that I would only now even admit to a few because it is not pretty about me.
I was not scolded. I was gently revealed something that will change so much in my heart.
I guess I wanted to write this in the first place because we are so busy and I hear people all of the time say they wish the Lord would tell them this or that. That the Lord would direct their path. That they wish they would have a clear answer.
Folks…are you quiet?
I’m not.
There are so many things that I KNOW the Lord wants to reveal to me through His word but also through me slowing down and shutting my mouth!
I need to leave my phone at home more often.
I need to take a walk by myself WITHOUT the music.
Those few minutes in the day when you only have enough time to check your Facebook account or pray…Pray.
Be still.
I have realized over the past few years that I hear the Lord in the shower.
Could it be because it the only place He can get my attention?
It that really the only place that I am not distracted?
How long had the Lord been trying to talk to me and I couldn’t even hear Him?
I hope you “accidentally” leave your phone at home the next time you are running errands by yourself.
When you are quiet all kinds of good stuff happens.
FYI – That is exactly the reason I bought your “Be Still” bracelet. To remind me that I needed to be still during the day and just listen to the Lord. In all the ruckus of life I need a little reminder; it’s like putting a red string on the elephant. 🙂 Beautiful post!
xo
Beautiful Jeanne. I’ve been talking about this and writing about it and thinking about it myself. I too have my best conversations with God in the shower…because it is secular and quiet (with the exception of the running water) and there is peace there. We were born in water and maybe for me that’s the significance. Being still and being quiet is difficult. We are programmed to be moving, be busy and be active. We are constantly on the go…it’s life. It’s life with children without a doubt. Now that my 2 are in their 20s, it’s easier for me to be still and to listen. That’s what my blog has been about the last couple of weeks and today I was calling it “drifting”. I’m glad you took those 15 minutes to hear and to learn. It’s no coincidence that you “forgot” your journal and your phone. There are no coincidences in life. Sending you love!
Very touching, and oh so true!
I’ve had that similar experience of the Lord’s gentle corrections/guidance, etc. It has inspired a change that I have done my best to live out for many years. My family has been greatly blessed by that one moment, when I “listened”. Fortunately, there have been many more listening moments since. I truly believe the Lord is always speaking to our hearts, and when we stop to listen, it is transforming.
May you find much peace in what has been revealed to you.
Love and Prayers <3
Oh Jeanne, what a beautiful scripture and post to go with it! My hubby and I make it a point to turn off “everything” when he arrives home from work every eve @ 5. It is so peaceful and nurturing to us when we just unplug and let God lead us through…
Thank you!! Blessings to you and your beautiful family ~rose
what a beautiful encouraging reminder today my friend…
thank you
& the art–i love it!!
Hello, I guess I’m revealing myself as the lurker that I am. This was so good for me to read this morning, and I had a few chuckles as well. Thank you! The painting is beautiful!
Jeanne, As I left the hospital after they told my Dad and me that he was dying from melanoma (at 69) and we needed to call hospice, I had to drive an hour home completely hysterical. I tried to call my husband, but my cell phone was dead, I tried to use the phone that is in my car . . .had no minutes and could not handle calling On Star, I tried to turn on the radio to drown out my sobbing and crying, it would not turn on . . .Complete silence in my car except for the voice in my head that kept saying to me, “Be Still and Know I AM God”. Over and over that voice came to me until I calmed down. True story. I feel that God knew what place I was at and it wasn’t a good one. He “turned off” all of my sounds to make me hear him. I didn’t even know that verse. I had no idea where it was in the Bible. I never did get anything to work on that hour drive. Once in the garage of my house, the radio came on. . .I then did a search to find the verse. Ever since then, I’ve collected anything with that verse on it. Unfortunately, my Dad did pass a week later . . .I found Melody Ross and Brave Girls right after that and that led me to Christy Tomlinson and to you! So good does come from silence and sadness . . .xoxo
I keep intending to meditate everyday to reconnect to Source, but I hardly ever do. When I do I know I feel better. I really need to force myself to make it a priority. Thank you for sharing.
I recently went on a trip by myself to a workshop. I just wrote about it this morning. I have never done this before ever. Never! I had a lot of alone time. In my rental car I purposely decided not to turn the radio on as I drove and explored the beautiful countryside of this new place for many hours at a time. I prayed and listened and “we” had a great time getting to know each other better. Thank you for this wonderful post. Truly.
Yes!!!! Why is it so hard for us to be quiet. I make plans for quiet and then I allow myself to be distracted, or worse get caught up in something unimportant on my way to my quiet place and then so little time is left for my ‘appointment.’ Here we have the opportunity to meet and hear from the God of the universe and we put him off.
This came to mind as I sit here typing, if I had a meeting with you to learn about creative endeavors…I’d be there on time…and ready to listen. I’d probably even come early. I think this just might be a nudge. Hmmmm.
Thanks for being authentic. God seems to use us most when we’re real.
Wishing you An Extraordinary Day!
way to go, jeanne. beautiful. now doing it.=) did i ever tell you that keith green apparently had some of his best times of prayer in the bathroom?=)makes me laugh, but it’s true, it can be a rare time of privacy and QUIET. can be. even if i lock the door, our toddler “might” knock and cry in the hallway “sometimes” for me. love this post, jeanne. praise god!
Thanks for the gentle reminder… I will be finding more quiet times to infuse in my daily life.
What a wonderful and sweet reminder. Thank you!
I LOVE LOVE LOVE this post!! One of my Favs.
He’s amazing isn’t He? Thanks for this post!!
Hi Jeanne,
I grew up going to Church 4 or 5 times a week and then got away from going to Church all together (I never totally stopped believing, I just didn’t think about it a lot). I just turned 55 and two years ago my Dad died of Alzheimer’s. Shortly after, I started attending Church service in a Retirement Community Social Room with my Mom. We met a wonderful man who led us to his Church.
I thought going back to Church would be something I did for my Mom. It was the best thing I’ve done in so so long – Church is now the highlight of my week. I’m telling you this because this post really really moved me. I just made myself a promise that I will ask God to speak with me (and really listen) each night. I started tonight, right after I read your beautiful post.
I don’t often get this personal on-line, but I thought you might want to know that what you say really does matter, sometimes in the most important ways. Thank you.
So glad you found the time to be still and listen I am too go go & have to slow down you were meant to leave your phone so he could talk to you :))
I must say Jeanne your paintings are just getting better each time she is truly beautiful 🙂
I was extremely moved by this post Jeanne. I’ve been trying to find my way back to the Lord for quite Somme time. I just don’t know where to start. Your simple statements stir up that need in me for God.
Lovely and oh so true?
I love your thoughts on this. I find so often, even when people ask us to pray for them, we run off with a promise over our shoulder to do it later. We’ve become a people that forgets to live “now” because we’re so busy running and being distracted.
This really spoke to me. I’ve just been feeling so totally crazy this summer with three children at home and all the rushing around going here and there. I forget to take time to be still. Thank you for the reminder that if we truly want to hear God we need to stop and be still so that we can hear Him.
Hello Jeanne,
Ah, yes, the stillness of the mind and the body…but not the spirit. All the muscles seem to drop in relief, don’t they? Extraneous noise may still be present, but not for us in our intentional rest. Maybe all I am aware of is the ringing in my ears. Well, I’ll be…it’s God’s ringtone. So I answer His call (no need to move because it’s always on speaker phone), and He talks to me. I think I must be on speed dial, but His loving words are not. What a conversation…no call waiting, just expressions of love and answers of truth. No doubt.
Lovely post, I fully agree – it seems we have to make a conscious decision for this kind of time to happen everyday…at some point it becomes more of a habit…but even then if you’re not careful the day slips away. Hugs, Karen
Thank you so much for posting this! It was a great reminder theat I really need to prioritize my time better….. to make room to let the Lord move in my heart and speak to me. That is one of my favorite verses…. be still 🙂
What a beautiful, and much needed (at least for me) reminder! Thank you for making me realize that I haven’t been taking the time to LISTEN to God. I tend to be the one doing all the talking, and HE is the one with the answers.
Thanks for the thoughful post, it is exactly what I needed hear. 🙂
Jeanne: I have loved your blog for a long time and don’t usually comment. Just wanted to say that you are always very inspiring. I loved this post. This is one of my favorite scriptures. Thanks for the reminder that God wants to speak to me and I need to give myself quiet and time to hear Him. I too have an “addition” to my iphone. I need to leave it behind more often and stop relying on it so much. Keep doing what you are doing – I see God in your artwork, writing and your blog.
LOVE this! Thanks for sharing!
Beautiful post as always ……….
Jeanne, this post is such a beautiful reminder. I struggle with being still — and just slowing down. I always feel like I have so much to do, but it is in those moments of stillness that I learn more and feel like I’ve accomplished more.
Love this post! Thank you for the reminder!
amen and amen, sister!
m ^..^
I just found your blog and read this post. Wonderful and oh so true.
Thank you.
Just read this after I woke up this morning and realized I have no idea where my phone is. It’s kind of nice to not have the distraction (but um, I lost my phone!). Now if I could lose the computer too, I’d be good to go 😉 One of my goals this summer was to be still. Quiet. Slow down. I’m a work in progress. Oh, and I have my best time with the Lord in the shower too. I like to think I’m being “showered” with his love and truth (cheesy, I know).
Dear Jeanne-Jeanne the Art Machine…
😉
Thank you so much for all you are…all you do…so many things have *surged* forward in my life since taking your art and small business courses online. Just a quick “testimony” to the power of beginning – and it involves you. I will try to be brief.
Lord knows, as a Preacher’s Wife, I needed a mentor for my own dang self. 😉 I mentor others, but myself I cannot mentor. I stumbled across you. Suddenly, I figured out that what I thought was my all–original vision to blend art and ministry…well, it was already being DONE by you, by Lara Blair, and others. And that is *wonderful* – there is room for MORE to do what we are doing.
But I wanted to do online videos, as a means of ministering to women. I wanted that so much. But did not feel that I had the right equipment. Then my laptop crashed! But I kept up with your classes with a tiny netbook.
You talk about getting still…The Preacher took me to a movie this past Sunday. It was Snow White and the Huntsman.
Whatever anyone thinks of the movie, God was soooo speaking to me during it. He said to me (among many other things), “Daughter, I sing over you. I celebrate you. And I will equip you for every good word and work. ”
Later that VERY evening (night before last) a BRAND NEW i-PAD was given to me! My man had sold something of his, and on top of that, others put money in with his, and when he brought it to me, he said…
…”YOU are celebrated. Just because. We celebrate YOU.”
Long story short, I spent half my day today getting my very, very first video up on my blog:
http://www.sheilaatchleydesigns.com
I kept hearing you speak of USING our gifts, not burying them. I felt very strongly that I needed to act quickly, no matter how imperfect…no matter how badly I wanted to lose 10 pounds first. ACK! (whew..the camera does add weight..)
Thanks. I lift my glass of Merlot and toast you, Jeanne. “To New Beginnings”. Again, thanks for being a mentor to a frazzled Preacher’s wife, who is birthing big things in the Spirit.