Shhhhh!

Psalm 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

I was encouraged recently by this post by Mary DeMuth at The Master's Artist blog (Tuesday April 8 "Be Aware"). Lately I've felt like I just can't focus. I stay awake at night dwelling on work stuff. During the day, story ideas dancing in my head distract me from the tasks at hand. On my drive to and from work, I'm making mental lists of things at home and in my personal life needing my attention.

So on the drive home that day, I just clicked the radio off and tried to heed God's command in Psalm 46:10. Goodness, it's hard to just be still sometimes, isn't it? Sure, we can be sitting perfectly still in church or laying still in bed. But how often do we stop to be completely still and focus our attention on God? What does it mean to be still? For me, it's not just physically coming to a halt, but also shutting out all the mental distractions competing for my attention. That means the voices in my head. The ones planning my next story or blog entry. The ones carrying on imaginary conversations with the person I think needs a piece of my mind. The discouraging ones that laugh at my attempts to write as well as the prideful ones that commend my efforts prematurely. The worrisome ones reminding me of unfinished tasks and potential problems.

Being still for me is akin to laying flat on my back out in the yard on a cloudless night and just taking in the heavenly wonders. But simply being still is not enough. The proponents of extreme forms of yoga and meditation are content to empty their minds. God is not satisfied with us merely being still. He tells us to KNOW with every fiber of our being that He is God!

Hi My Blog!

Just seems funny not to have posted or even really looked at my blog for a few days. I've just been going in a million different directions. Usually I kind of chew on a thought for a few days until it morphs into a bloggable thought; haven't even had any thoughts worth chewing on lately. I'll be back though!

Deep Cleaning

I'm so anxious to get my kitchen put back together and I'm almost there! It was tempting to be content with the newly painted cabinets and walls, but something in me (perhaps memories of cleaning house with my Gram) knew I had to deal with what was on the inside. And so I've spent the last two days cleaning my cabinets, putting down new shelf paper, and most importantly, purging them of junk and seldom used items. Wow! What a difference. It's not likely anyone will ever notice the insides of my cabinets, but I would know if I was hiding a mess in them!

Aren't our lives like our homes in a way? We can appear totally put together at church and when we're with others, but only God and we know what messes lurk behind that pleasing appearance. Sometimes we don't even realize what kind of junk we're hiding until we buckle down in the Word of God and prayer and allow God to reveal some of these problem areas. I don't want to just look good on the outside. I want to know that my heart is right with God, day in and day out.

Psalm 51

Fruit in Season

I love the verse in Psalm 1 where David likens the man who lives in God's word to a tree bringing forth fruit. Who, as a growing Christian, does not desire to bring forth fruit in his or her life? Lately it seems God is working on my heart regarding the last three words of that verse: "in its season."

If you've read any previous posts on my blog (or know me personally), you may recall we just finished remodeling our basement, a project which took three years and then some. A few months ago, I decided to tackle my kitchen. Good thing I'm not in project management for a living: my plan allowed a month to paint and a weekend to lay the floor and install new light fixtures. But here I am, more than two months later, uh - shall we say - behind schedule!

I'm okay with this though. I really believe God had a patience lesson in mind for me when we began that gameroom project. So although I'm anxious to finish the kitchen, I'm not nearly as uptight or frustrated as I was with the gameroom.

I think I'm beginning to understand that God's sense of timing is so different from mine. I can't imagine God working on deadlines! If that were the case, He'd have abandoned this project called "Dianne's life" long ago. I think we try to pigeonhole God into our time frame. And that's the beauty of ripe fruit. No one enjoys fruit picked prematurely, and you can't force fruit to ripen (okay, I'm sure there's a way to trick it into ripening, but it still has to ripen on its own).

So yes, I desire to live a fruitful life. But I'm learning the fruit is God's work, not mine. And it will be best in His time. My job, really, is just to get out of the way and let Him work.