Sit Still and Be Quiet

Sunday, 06 March 2011

• Sit Still and Be Quiet!

  Sound like a familiar command?  It does to me!  What conjures up the most memories is sitting in church with the children on the bench beside me, wiggling and whispering.  So distracting to me and those around us.  Something happened this past weekend that once again brought the phrase to mind, but in a different light.
  I had plans on Friday to run some errands and tie up my trip with a stop at a friends house to visit and let the boys play with her boys.  I had not told the boys of these plans, for I knew that I would be harassed all week long - "mom, how many days.....", "mom, how long will we be able to stay", and on and on.  So, Thursday night I told them that we were going to pick up potatoes near Pine Grove, go to Bill's produce, stop at another friends for a computer monitor and then I had a surprise stop for them.  Oh, boy!  The interrogation began!  Couldn't I give just one little hint?  Was it going to be fun or educational?  (For some reason, they have a hard time combining those two.   If it is considered educational, then surely it isn't all that much fun, right?  Sounds too much like school to them!)   Were they ever there before?   They determined they probably would be disappointed with this surprise stop.  I told them I was not going to say a word, they would just have to wait and see and trust me.  Friday morning, the interrogation continued with all the same questions.  Somewhere in the middle of it all, the Lord opened my eyes to a spiritual lesson and that the lesson was for me, especially.  I told the boys that sometimes (most times, really) God does not provide all the answers right away, nor does He reveal all His plans for us up front.  Our duty is to trust Him, for He always has our good at heart and that is what I wanted them to do - trust me for I want to please them, make them happy and surprise them.  While telling them all this, God was clearing His throat and tapping me on the shoulder wondering if I was paying attention to what I was saying.  You see, I have been having a very difficult time living the sermon that I was preaching to them.  I have been feeling anything but "quiet" for a long time.  There have been some things in our lives that we have not had clear direction in for years.  We think we have the answers only to be proven wrong once again.  Under these uncertainties, I wiggle and whimper and instead of sitting quietly, I stand up and boldly proclaim that I have to have the answers and know what God is doing and why and when - NOW!!  He must feel like I felt when the boys would not leave me alone with their curious pestering.  He knows the plans He has for me and my family.  He sees the whole picture, the whole future.  He knows what is best for us.  He is saddened when I refuse to surrender and trust Him and allow Him to be in control.  My duty is to sit quietly at His feet and wait patiently on Him.  To trust Him with all my unanswered questions - all my concerns - all my decisions - all my future - all my relationships.  All my families futures, decisions, and unanswered questions!  Only in His time will He continue to reveal His plans to us, even if they are only small sections of the blueprint at a time.  "So, Lord, I will be quiet and sit down at Your feet and learn from You as Mary did in the Bible.  Only then can I hear Your still small voice and have Your peace wash over me.  Amen!"   Shhhhhhhhhh......do You hear Him, too? 
  Until next time......................