BE STILL AND KNOW
Tranquil Tree House on Table Rock Lake
As I sit here in my tree house (a real life tree house on the lake in southern Missouri! check it out!) eating chips and bean dip…because that’s what you bring on vacation…I’m trying so hard to be quiet and focus on, well, being quiet. Swirling around in my brain, however, is a list of all the things I should be doing because now I “have the time:” edit a podcast episode, design the logo for my sister and brother-in-law’s future farm, write in my book, write questions for upcoming podcast interviews, read the two books I brought (knowing full-well I won’t read two books in 48 hours), relax. Yes, relax is on the list, which I realize is contradictory to all the “to-do’s” also on said list.
When I’m home, I’m a champ at checking out. Some days I’m just exhausted, and I will just sit on the couch and binge several episodes of XYZ show. But I don’t want to just check out here. There’s no wifi, so vegging on the couch watching shows is not an option…which I’m happy about. I also don’t want to just fill my time with to-dos. That’s not getting away for me.
I need a break. You could also call it an escape. I’ve been so busy at work. And when I’m not working my 8-5 or 6 or 7, I’m working on the podcast. Also, all the craziness in the world around me has taken it’s toll on me. I’m tired. I’m a little burnt out, to be honest. Thus, I needed to get away, to escape.
So here I am, in a gorgeous, cozy, kitschy tree house cabin on the lake/middle of no where. It is so quiet…besides the cacophony of nature sounds. I have no distractions other than my beautiful surroundings beckoning me to join me in the peaceful quiet. I pray, asking for God to speak to me about how to best utilize this time. But then comes the swirling to-do list drowning out whatever He may have to say.
How do you get quiet? Like really quiet? When you have your lists, your plans…even your plan to relax…how do you silence the noise and just be still?
I don’t have the answer. That’s why I’m writing this, I suppose. To help get some of the words out of my head to make room for the quiet, for His voice to break through.
The clouds are beginning to part, and the sun is coming out. I think I’ll go join it, as I could use some of that Vitamin D. But also being in nature, near God’s awe-inspiring creation, always seems to help me focus…not on my to-do’s, but on Him, on the quiet. Annnd, I really need to eat something other than bean dip for lunch…maybe I’ll go eat a carrot. Yes, I also brought carrots, to make myself feel a little better about the chips and bean dip.
