We all have our own way of handling uncertainty, indecision and even crisis.  There is, built into all of us, a method by which we cope with all the things that life throws at us.  I remember when my mother passed away, well before her age indicated that it was her time, I just kept busy.  I needed to move and do things, because I have a “doing personality”.  For others, there is the need to contemplate, to remember and still others seemingly fall apart, but even that is a way of coping.  Rarely, do people ever deal with problems and questions or even crisis, by becoming still.  Most of us feel the need to react, to grow, to change to do something.  However, doing something is not always the answer.

I find that, particularly when decisions and choices weigh heavily on my mind, being still and silent are far more valuable then any of my “doing and trying”.  There is something powerful, even profound,  in the act of stillness.  The acknowledgment that I am not in control, frees my mind and makes me let go of the temporal that I think I control.  It reminds me that in spite of the value that I often place on my own resources, in the end the outcomes are in the hands of one greater and wiser.  I need to lean into that more often.

That stillness awakens other possibilities.  By letting go and being still, the ideas and options that the hurried, busy mind have no time for, slowly emerge to help solve problems.  When we let go of our own will, we are free to be inspired by others.

The stillness also brings peace.  In stillness we are open to the voice that we cannot hear when we are rushing around trying to order our world our way.  Because God rarely speaks in loud places and does not appear on prime time, we never get to hear Him except when we are still.  His voice brings peace and assurance of the best outcome for our problems.

In my mind’s eye, I see my stillness as sitting alone in a green pasture, by calm, still waters, with animals and flowers all around me.  For you it may be in a dark corner of a library with a good book, or a quiet coffee shop or even a mountain top.  But whatever your stillness is in your mind, go there often.  Be still and wait for answers and inspiration.  Don’t be afraid that your absence will cause the world to stop, it won’t.  I have found that even if, in my stillness I find no answers, the problems I come back to are never as large as I thought.

Whatever your problems are, being still will bring them into clear focus and help you to find the answers you seek.  Be still…