Just Be Still

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I must have been crazy to drive from Atlanta to western Kansas with two boys under three years of age. But, I did it because I wanted to spend some time with my grandparents and wanted them to get to know my boys. John couldn’t go because of work and frankly, I didn’t give it a second thought and off I went. Somewhere along the drive, I came up with a game we would play. I called it quiet time. Yep, you guessed it. The game was to see who could be quiet the longest.

It was a game born of necessity. With boys that age and a drive of that length, it was inevitable that there would squirming and fussing in car seats, frustrations with confinement, boredom, and more random noises and questions than one adult, with no one to talk , could bear for 22 hours in the car. The words, “Let’s play the quiet game” or the more desperate phrase, “Just be still” seemed to come out of my mouth quite often.
Squirming, fussing, pulling at constraints, and questions? Woops! That doesn’t just sound like my kids. Quite honestly, it sounds like me!

-Squirming under the pressure

-Squirming because of I’m WAY out of my comfort zone

-Pulling at the constraints of time, money, and responsibility

-Wondering how much longer until things get better, until there is some relief, until there is some fruit and rewards for my efforts?

-WONDERING……God! What in the world are you doing?

As I lay in bed last night, squirming, pulling, wondering, and eaten up with frustration and questions, Psalm 46:10 came to my mind….rather, the Holy Spirit brought it to my mind. You know the first phrase for sure: Be still and know that I am God. Let me share with you how it is translated in the NAS version.

“Cease striving and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations; I will be exalted in the earth.”

That should be enough but He doesn’t end the thought there. The next verse goes on to say:

“The Lord of Hosts is with us; The God of Jacob is our stronghold.”

I like to think of myself as a resourceful, independent, and problem-solving sort of gal. I think most homeschool moms could be described that way. But, after a long period of time and much effort in a particular area of my life, when things aren’t coming together as I had planned, or unexpected negatives keep popping up to discourage me, I have a hard time being still and ceasing my striving. Please tell me you struggle with this too!

I sit and wonder what else I could be doing to “fix” the situation and when I can’t think of anything I haven’t already done, I start squirming, pulling, wondering, and questioning.

But God says, to “Be Still” to “Cease Striving”. With all of my running and striving, sometimes I no longer can hear His still, small voice speaking to me and so, perhaps I should think of these times of frustration as times to stop, look, and listen for His voice among the details, the frustrations, the constraints…..to go to Him for comfort and answers among the questions…..to remember that The Lord of Hosts is with me. The God of Jacob is my stronghold.

I don’t know what you may be squirming, pulling, wondering, and questioning right now in your life and situation. At this point, my struggle has very little to do with homeschooling and yet, it affects my homeschooling. What I do know is that we love and serve the same God and that He IS the Lord of hosts and He IS our stronghold. Let’s encourage one another to just “be still” and to “cease striving” as we trust Him to provide and lead in supernatural, miraculous ways which bring honor and glory to Him; and peace and contentment to our souls and those who live and work and learn in our sphere of influence.

Faith and Courage,

Lori

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Lori and John Lane have been married 29 years and live on a ranch in the beautiful Colorado Rockies where John coaches the local high school baseball team, runs the ranch, and works with Artios Academies. (www.artiosacademies.com)They have four sons ranging in age from twenty-six down to fourteen, two beautiful daughter-in-loves, and a precious granddaughter. Lori is the author of the book, Beginning With The End In Mind, and the executive director of Artios Academies. You can follow Lori at www.theendinmind.net where she blogs about a variety of topics including life on the ranch, arts education, a Biblical worldview of education, home education and more. Her blog also offers many free resources to encourage you on your journey.