On Being Still
“Be still and know that I am God”
(Psalm 46:10)
Feeling stuck?
When you're a doer like me, being still doesn’t always come very naturally...
Have you ever felt a little bit stuck? Like you've given 100% to trying to make something work better? Perhaps you've researched, tried different strategies, prayed hard, and continued to persevere... but still, things aren’t moving forwards or turning out as you would like?
I don’t know about you, but sometimes I find myself scratching my head, saying 'God, what am I missing here? Why is this thing still not happening? Why aren’t your promises materialising yet? What else would you have me do?'
I've found myself in this predicament at many different times over the past few years, but particularly in the midst of our battles with secondary infertility and pregnancy loss.
A culture of impatience
In our culture of impatience, it's very easy to start feeling like the lack of forward momentum or breakthrough is because of something that you are not doing, or something that you are doing wrong...
It’s so easy to keep leaping from one ‘fix’ to another, in the hope that something will just make that difference. I literally can't count the number of times I've switched to a new diet plan or food fad or exercise routine or fertility product or strategy for boosting conception over the last couple of years.
And although none of these things are 'wrong', constantly chasing a different way of doing things or a better solution can end up leaving you feeling exhausted.
Try being still
Whether you're on a fertility journey right now like me, or facing a deferred hope in some other area of your life, let me ask you a question that is challenging me right now; have you tried being still?
To be still means to stop striving, stop stressing, stop worrying, stop fighting, stop controlling, and stop trying so hard.
It means just relaxing, settling in and trusting in God.
Trusting that what will be will be.
Trusting that nothing you can do will add or take away from that.
On infertility
Sometimes this infertility journey I am on, can leave me feeling that this is all on me; that our success is resting on our ability to create the perfect conditions for conception; picking the right drugs, eating the right foods, timing our sex life better, lowering our stress levels, being more positive etc, etc...
And when you’re a doer, you’re just always looking for that something more you can do.
But the truth is that not everything is in my hands.
So maybe once I have done whatever is within my gift to do, I just need to be still & know that He is God.
How about you?
You may or may not be on a fertility path right now like me, but is there anything you need to practice being still over right now as well? Do you need to join me in letting go a bit and letting him?
Perhaps, just like me, you’ve found yourself saying to God at times, ‘I don’t feel like I’m winning in my life right now, and I feel like I’ve already given everything I’ve got to this battle. What more can I possibly do?’
Well, the answer that keeps coming back to my mind is found in Ephesians 6:13, which says this: “…and after you have done everything to stand, stand firm then”.
In other words, when you have done all you can practically do about a situation, and prayed all the prayers you can pray, then all that’s left to do is this: Just stand firm.
So maybe you don’t need to try anything else new.
Maybe you don’t need to keep trying harder.
Maybe you don’t need to do anything at all.
Just be still and know that He is God. And in that place of stillness and rest, trust Him to do what you cannot.