Be still

Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:11)

Picture this: You’re walking down the street when suddenly you hear the peal of a tower bell announcing that it is 1 o’clock.

Consider what you experience: A sound comes to your ears, and then moves away, while perhaps your ears pick up another sound such as a horn honking or a friend speaking to you.

Meanwhile, you are there, the same as you were before. A sound came into your mind and then passed through you. Other sounds began to appear.

When we meditate, sitting in silent attention, an occasional thought or idea arises. What do we do with it? Do we entertain the thought and end up getting carried away from our meditative space, or do we acknowledge it and allow it to pass through us, just like the sound of that bell?

If you are able to remain still you can reach a point where that stillness is present in your life no matter what happened. Psychologists call this the “being mode.” This mode has several characteristics:

·         It is focused on the present moment.

·         It accepts and allows what comes to mind.

·         It is non-judgmental.

·         Thoughts and feelings are related to as events that come and go.

The words of Psalm 46 encourage us to enter into “being mode.” The psalm talks about calamities happening around us, mountains falling into the sea, waters raging and foaming, and so on.

Read Psalm 46 and related it events in your own life. And then, right at the conclusion, the word comes from the Lord: Be still and know that I am God. I'll take care of all of that!

Meditate. Trust. Stay at peace. Let things go.