Be Still...

I am probably the world's worst person at being still. Even in moments when life is not hurried, I get busy distracting myself with a book, the computer, or by texting/calling friends. This afternoon was no different. After Sunday dinner and spending some time on the computer I decided to get some exercise. So I donned my tennis shoes, grabbed my i-pod, and headed out the door for a brisk walk in the Autumn air. Only today was different. As I crossed the highway and began pumping down my favorite gravel road, suddenly my music seemed like so much noise, and my heart-pounding pace seemed much too rushed. Something seemed to say, "Slow down, and enjoy the beauty of this day." So I did. I pulled out my ear-buds, stuck my i-pod in my pocket, and slowed my calorie-burning pace down to a leisurely stroll. And I listened...and watched...and absorbed...and oh the delightful things I discovered.

I heard the soft crunch of gravel under my shoes. I felt a gentle breeze, free from the humidity of summer and carrying a hint of the chill of winter, blow across my face and cause the dry cornstalks in the field beside me to rustle. I listened to the incessant buzz of cicadas in the trees, and the musical chirp of crickets in the grass. I watched tiny black beetles scurry across the road, saw a fuzzy brown caterpillar inch its way along, and observed a large, gangly grasshopper thump its way home. I saw small, yellow butterflies dance in midair, and swoop to nearly touch my face. I stopped to pick some bright purple clover and a little white wildflower resembling a miniature daisy. I picked up an acorn that fell from a tree unto the road beside me and felt its smooth, round surface. I looked up to see tall trees with multi-colored leaves silhouetted against a bright blue sky. And as I walked, and looked, and listened, I found my mind calming down, and my thoughts turning to prayer and thankfulness to God for the simple beauty He has created.

So often I rush though life at a frantic and distracted pace, and I forget the simple command to "Be still, and know that I am God." Today I was reminded of that need to calm my heart and simply listen as God speaks to me, be it though the pages of His Word or the beauty of His creation.