Be Still

I feel as if there is so much to say.
I just have no idea where to start.

I'm not quite sure what I expected out of this summer. A sunburn probably, but thankfully that didn't happen ;)
Definitely not all the growth that I have been going through, that's for sure.
I'm not complaining though.
No, more like rejoicing in a quiet voice. Quiet because I'm still not sure how I've have reached the point to where I am at now, and words tend to escape me when I try to explain it.

At the start of the summer, I was at a place of growth that I kind of foresaw coming. However, I did not realize that it was preparing me for a lot more growing I would be doing over the course of the summer.

I have learned a lot of things, but everything really focusing around one concept:

BE STILL

It took me a while to really let that sink in, and truthfully, it had been presented to me numerous times since April, when I was really forced to sit down and let my mind wrap around what it means. Although, no matter how many times it kept coming up, I took it pretty lightly. Until, one day, it hit me like a ton of bricks. 

I'm not really sure when exactly that moment occurred, but I'm grateful that it did. 

That moment woke me up to the realization that the phrase "Be Still" had constantly been around me, but I was so caught up in everything going on, that I failed to recognize it. I was too busy doing the opposite to realize that it was sending me the message I needed most to hear. 

The definition of "still" is this:

Free from turbulence or commotion; peaceful; tranquil; calm

I'm huge on looking up definitions. I like to truly understand the meaning of what message is being conveyed. Adding to that, I'm a huge fan of the thesaurus, and one of the synonyms for "still" is "at rest".
"At rest" means this:

Relief or freedom, especially from anything that wearies, troubles, or disturbs.

It is a beautiful thing when we are told to rest in Christ. A really beautiful thing, because He is the true source of freedom, or relief, or comfort, or whatever it is that we need.
Christ is what we need.
Christ is enough.

A few weeks ago (I guess that's probably when I realized I needed to be still), I became very overwhelmed with life. 

I was so unbalanced in what I was investing my time in, that everything began to stack up around me, causing me to not be able to focus on one thing at a time, but rather have my attention pulled in twenty different directions. 

I was pouring all my time and energy into things I thought I would benefit greatly from. I did benefit...to an extent. Then it reached a point where I was pouring out more than I had in me. I had nothing that I was being refilled by, and that's when things got crazy. 

I love my job. I love it like no other job I've ever had. It's wonderful and exactly what I want to continue doing in the future. 

However, there is a certain limit of how much of my time I actually need to invest into my job. I was investing much more than I was capable of. I felt like I needed to keep working because I enjoyed it, but I was failing to see that as much as I wanted to work, I didn't have the capability to do so. 

I was basically forced to take a break a couple weeks ago, when I was so obviously mentally, physically, emotionally, and spiritually worn out, that my boss ended up telling me to go home, and then texted me the next day saying to take the day off. 

I'm glad other people could see what I couldn't, and then actually told me to do what I didn't want to do but needed to do. 

That day off, I took the time to really analyze what I was spending all my time doing. I quickly realized that my priorities were out of whack. 

It's not like I was spending my time doing bad things, but rather spending too much time in some areas, and not enough in others. 

The unbalanced life. 

I took some serious quiet time for myself, and in that quiet, I learned to Be Still. I learned that when we are quiet and we are still in the presence of the Lord, He reveals so much to us. He reveals what He has envisioned for our lives, and what He made us to be. 

He wants us to be satisfied in Him, and He wants us to just enjoy being in His presence. 

It's a glorious thing when you really are experiencing Christ's presence. 

Quiet time has become more and more important in my walk with Christ. It's hard sometimes to deliberately sit down and be still [I can get pretty restless at times], but when you do, the reward of just being in the presence of God is something nothing can compare with, and certainly not replace. 

There is a satisfaction like none other. 

You become aware of just how great and glorious our God really is.  

You become aware of how beautiful His mercy and grace is. 

You become aware of Who God really is, not just who we make Him out to be.

You start to know Christ.

PSALM 46:10

He says, "Be still and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth." 

I know that I will continue to struggle to be still at times, but I am learning and experiencing what it's like to be so. 

I pray that I will continue to actively walk with Christ daily, and in that, take the time to just be satisfied in His presence.