Sometimes he just floats there, at the top of the aquarium. Arms and legs spread wide in a position of surrender, head tipped back so his nose just breaks through the surface. Our frog is crazy. I keep thinking he’s dead.
Everything about him read death.
Poking around the glass, peering this way and that, I tap and shake and wave. Nothing.
“He’s gotta be dead.”
I stare at his beady, unblinking black eyes; watch his smooth, yellow stomach for the slight give and take of life.
“Josh, I think the frog died.”
With a kick of his legs and a splash, he dives under the shelf; gone.
I equate inactivity with death. To be still means to cease living.
How do I reconcile that with God’s commandment to “Be still and know that (He) is God”?
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honestly, i hate being still. it makes me think i must be missing something. and often even when my body gets still, my mind is racing. . .nascar style. much of the past year was a time of quite a bit of stillness and inactivity and it has not been very enjoyable {wink}. i am still trying to find beauty in being still. . .in allowing Him to talk and balance that with the activity i so desire in my life. how you strike that balance?? i have no clue. . .but i sure would love to know 🙂
“it makes me think i must be missing something.”
I totally get this! There are nights when I just want to stay home by myself and veg, then I get all paranoid that I’m missing out. On what? Who knows. Haha! As much as I struggle in times of stillness, I am beginning to see it as a period of internal growth. Like how seeds sprout roots and grow underground for so long before you see any evidence of that growth above the surface. God is doing much in your life, Lauren, even in times of stillness.
that frog cracks me up, who knew he would bring you such a profound message?
Haha! I know, right? God uses the simple things of this world. 🙂
Slowing down to experience an intentional focus of stillness is so hard for me. In the past, I’ve viewed my solitude selfishly – you know, if I ever get a moment to myself, I’m going to do what I want to do (which usually doesn’t involve God….). I’ve learned that those still-periods need to come from intentional motives.
You nailed it! I do the same thing. The kids’ nap time = my time to do what I want. Vacation = sightseeing and fun activities. Recently I realized how little I seek out God in my times of rest, and I intentionally tried to make a girls weekend all about building my relationship with Him and encouraging my friends. It turned out to be such a fantastic experience. God is so much better than a spa day…or a monster truck ralley? Haha! What’s the guy equivalent to a spa day?
I inspired a post that contains a picture of a dead frog? Cool. Mission accomplished!
NOT dead! Just still. 🙂 And yes, you did. Haha!
I have a problem standing still. I have bugs in my pants. I just hate it.
Haha! You should get that looked at!
Like I said over at Jason’s blog, being still is sooooo not my forte. Honestly, I think it’s really hard for women in general to be still because we’re constantly in multi-task mode. I’m like madwoman when I have to get the kids out the door in the morning. When I finally get in the car, it’s like I have to take a few deep breaths and slow down my heart. It’s a weird adrenaline rush, but not the roller coaster fun kind. 🙁 I think this is so much of how I react to life in general. I run around like a chicken with my head cut off, and God is gently saying to me, “Be still, be still”. And, I’m like, “Why?! There’s so much to do!” Being still is definitely something He’s teaching me. That verse was actually the inspiration for our bedroom we redesigned last year right before Korbin was born. Hmm, might need to spend a little more there now that I think about it.
I want a “Be Still & Know” themed bedroom!! So cool. And did I ever tell you that my nephew’s name is Corbin (spelled different…obviously)?
Being still to me just seems…unproductive. Usually I run myself into the ground, get sick, and have a forced stillness due to illness before I “get it” and start to appreciate the importance and benefits of being still. Then I seem to start the same cycle all over again. I really like that idea of a designated Be Still room. Mine would have a hammock.
I love hammocks! And I am very familiar with that cycle, Larry. Maybe we could consider it circuit training?