STILLNESS
We hear these words from the ancient wisdom literature of Israel, “Be still and know that I am God”, and wonder how this is possible in the society we live in. Our modern world tells us to hustle, achieve, and conquer which seem to preclude stillness. How then do we cultivate this quality from which we can know God better?
Like a dream or a vapor, disappearing before we can seize them, moments of stillness elude our grasp. They are cagey, darting between all the moving parts of our days. Slipping through our fingers just when we thought they were within reach.
Silence and stillness seem easy when all is well and I am enjoying my beach holiday. It naturally becomes part of the day to sit in the lounger and be still, while we listen to the waves lapping the shore. But in our daily reality, this stillness seems unrealistic, a quaint old-time custom not to be had in the post-modern world in which we live.
According to an online dictionary the word “still” has many meanings. I find these most informative, “not moving or in motion” and “free from disturbance, agitation, or commotion”[i].
STILLNESS IS NOT DEPENDENT ON ENVIRONMENT
These definitions suggest that stillness can be an inner or outer state or both. One might have an inner stability while being in a very busy place, implying that stillness is not dependent on the environment we find ourselves in.
It is tempting to think I cannot achieve stillness until my life is free of demands from outside myself. I could blame my children, my husband, or the long list of matters clamoring for my attention. But what if inner stillness could be accessed amidst all the regular chaos of life?
Sitting motionless only highlights the challenges for my inner self to settle. Most often the activity in my mind is indirectly proportional to the stillness in my body. My brain is busiest when I lay down on my yoga mat or when I try to drift off to sleep. Anxieties creep in, forgotten chores are remembered, and the most brilliant phrases to use in writing appear in these moments.
I think of the times I attempt balance poses in yoga class. To remain upright, I need to look at the doorknob, or the water bottle in front of me; a focus which allows my body to be still within the difficult pose. Could this be a clue to finding stability in my everyday routine?
WE KEEP OURSELVES OFF-KILTER
Grabbing for things to give me the significance and affirmation I desire, keeps me perpetually off balance, in constant movement, unable to be still. Like Gollum eternally striving after the ring, I can never find the inner settledness I long for.
Our inner stability comes from centering our attention on the unchanging, persistent love of God, and our identity as the beloved. When we hold anything else as the focus our lives will be off-kilter, in continuous motion, and we will continually grasp for the things that distract, making stillness elusive.
A fixed point around which to orient our lives makes inner stillness possible. When we concentrate on the truth that our life is held within the gentle grasp of a powerful yet loving Creator, no matter our surroundings, this paves the way for our hearts to be at ease. We can be like the child ensconced in the embrace of a parent, who finally relinquishes their fight against rest.
Stillness has the quality of Sabbath, a resting from our labor in recognition of our dependency on God, an awareness that “we are situated on the receiving end of the gifts of God”[ii]. It is an act of resistance “because it is a visible insistence that our lives are not defined by the production and consumption of commodity goods”[iii]. When we are still, we say to ourselves and the world, it is not all up to me.
TRY THIS WITH ME
Putting my hand over my heart and breathing deeply, I pay attention to the sensations in my body. I notice and breathe. I imagine Jesus sitting with me and we breathe together. As I inhale and exhale, I realize I am safe and I can be still.
[i] www.freedictionary.com
[ii] Sabbath as Resistance: An Interview with Walter Brueggemann – Slow Church
[iii] ibid