The Importance of Being Still

The other day, as I was outside with the boys, Isaiah was playing by the palm tree. I looked up and saw this beautiful sight! The intricate details of the palm captured my mind. Contentment had it's way with me for a few minutes...

This morning, I was holding Jeremiah in my lap and looking at Isaiah as he sat on the floor. Isaiah's face transformed from one expression to the another, and I was so pleased to truly capture him as I was willing to simply be still. My mind was not on the next thing I needed to accomplish; it was simply content to know who Isaiah was at that moment in time.

A few minutes later, Isaiah climbed onto my lap. I had Jeremiah in one arm and Isaiah in the other. I continued in the same mind-set and began kissing them...one kiss after another, switching off from one son to the next.

Just as the LORD has commanded me to "be still and know that He is God" (Psalm 46), He encourages me to apply the same concept to those that are my neighbor - those that are near to me in the physical sense - and be aware of who they are.

Being still in thought and in action allows me to capture the beauty of any given moment. It is a guarantee that there will always be something to be encouraged by if I simply stop and see things the way that God see them. Hallelujah for new days and God's mercy being right there to give us another try to do it all better than we did the day before.