STOP. Be Still

Hellooooo, who is home?! I'm back oooo. Awww . . . My heart melted when I read all your comments in my previous post, and your emails? Oh my! Thank you so much for your love and support. Thank you for being a sweetheart. Thank you. God bless you richly!

 

Be Still

Mehn, you never know your heart as completely as God does.

I have a calm demeanor that can be almost visible even to the blind. But appearing calm is one thing, having a heart that is calm is another. I'd been wrestling with myself, or perhaps with God, for days now.

The last time I visited The Healing Centre for a heart check. The Doctor diagnosed I needed to learn to be patient. I agreed to go through a surgery. It worked. I was done and over with being impatient. At least, I believed it was that easy.

Alas, I got the symptoms again. I ran to my Doctor. Then He gave me some drugs. One of them is called Romans 12:12.

"Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, persistent in prayer."

Another one is called Psalm 27:14.

"Wait patiently for the LORD. Be brave and courageous. Yes, wait patiently for the LORD."

I've been particularly taking those two drugs consistently. I especially love them because they taste like chocolate. Each time my heart doesn't feel right, I wonder what could be wrong. It was like I'd not finished the recommended dosage yet. Or just maybe I was not responding to treatment. Or Just maybe I have refused to be patient. I just couldn't get it. I was unsettled . . . I was restless!

My battery was really getting low. I desperately needed to recharge, and I didn't even know. Thanks to my Doctor who knows and supplies what my heart needs at the right time. Thanks to the One who knows me more than any other person in the world. Thanks to the One who feels my heartbeat and gives me heartrays. Thanks to the One who knows how hurt I'd been. Thanks to the One who I have come to know as My Heart Keeper. He gave me a call.

We had to sort somethings out. And I needed to be alone with Him. No distractions. Just me and Him.

(That was one of the basic reasons for the 7-day break I had). So we got talking. We talked for hours. We talked into the night. We talked for days. In fact, we wrestled and wrestled.

I cried. I laughed. I cried. I smiled. I cried. I sang. I cried. I cried. I cried. I cried more than ever. At a point, I started praying like David;

"search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts." ~ psalm 139:23

Like I said earlier, you never know your heart as completely as God does. You can grow to understand yourself more than you do now, if you want to. You can, by telling God to help you understand how you work, what inspires you, what moves you, and what drains you.

I can't write out all the things God has laid in my heart (this article looks like it's going to be a very long one already), but I will like to share one profound message I received.

God said to me:

"Amaka, you have to be still, and know that I am God!" ~ Psalm 146:10

It sounds like a very simple, straight-forward message. Yeah? But it really isn't wasn't easy for me.

I almost screamed: "Lord, for how long do I have to wait?!"

He's been telling me this for months now. I even had to tweet about it. 

Again, He says: "Be still, and know that I am God." 

God wants us to be calm. 

These eight-word message took me through a process known as mindfulness. I have come to accept mindfulness as an integral part of getting balance into my life. Mindfulness, like meditation, is to quieten the mind, shut up thoughts and be still before God. 

What a challenge! How I failed so many times while trying to focus my mind entirely on God. I kept wavering in my thoughts. I couldn't shut them up. I thought about everything I termed as "important and urgent". My mind was everywhere. It took me like forever to be quiet in my spirit and just be still. But it worked.

The silence addressed some issues.

For whatever reason, meditation is not being emphasized as much as prayer and Bible reading are. Jesus, John the Baptist and others went off to meditate and to take themselves away from the crowd. Why shouldn't we?

Meditation helps to renew the mind, to be still, to let go and surrender, to shut up the thoughts that are not helping. When the thoughts rage within you like a violent storm, do as Jesus did. Silence those thoughts by saying, "Peace, be still." Or like I forcefully said to myself, "Amaka, shut up jhorr!"

We all know it's not easy to simply "be still" in this age we are in. We live in a world that seems to be in perpetual motion. All of us have more to do than we ever get done. When people ask us "how far? What's going on?" "What have you been up to?" "When is it happening?", saying "I'm being still" is not considered to be a good answer.

Those who are considered successful aren't seen as people who are "still". Rather, they are people who are active and working. Therefore, we have this idea that if we’re not doing something, we’re not being productive. So we are always busy.

We are always doing something. If we're not talking, we're listening. If we're not walking, we're shopping. And even when we claim not to be working, we're planning what to do next. Our mind is always working!

Let's STOP!

let's stop. To Breathe. To Rest

Let's stop. To be still. 

God wants us to know Him more than we do now. Knowing doesn’t just happen. It is a result of a process, and it requires involvement on our part. Until we are still, we really cannot make any further progress towards knowing that He is God and His will for our lives.

When God assures us of a promise, He desires for us to participate in the fulfilment of that promise. Sometimes the participation requires us to fight; at other times God directs us to simply sit still and wait.

Being still is not a punishment. (Honestly, I thought it was. I be like, "How can I not just be doing anything?"). Glory to Jesus! I'm beginning to understand. God is actually telling us not to allow fear, worry, doubt, the situation to get the best of us because He’s infinitely greater than the obstacles that stand on our path.

Being still simply means acknowledging our human inability to cope with our issues by handing them over to Him. It means we just have to wait patiently and watch Him work.

Be anxious for nothing. Let God do His thing. 

Does anybody need to hear these words too? Are you anxious about anything? Are you afraid of how the year is going to end? Are you anxious about 2016 already? 

God is telling you to relax and tust Him. 

Let's trust Him by letting Him be who He wants to be in our lives, by letting Him do what He’s willing to do, by letting His absolute power and greatness to reign in our lives, and by allowing Him to bring us into a higher and greater level with Him. 

Truth be told, we’re not the ones to solve our problems, it's God. We're not the one to bring our dreams to fulfilment, it's God. Let’s do the very part He’s asked us to do which is trusting Him by being still and knowing that He’s the God who has an absolute control over everything.

So there is no point getting all worked up and stressed out. I am learning to "be still". It has to be a daily affair, a lifestyle. And I must give it the highest priority.

So sweetie, ask yourself, "Am I really still?"

* ** ** *P.S.* ** ** * 

Erm . . . Harmattan seems to have permeated across Nigeria oo. It's in Lagos now oo. Has it reached your side? Everything is drying here oo - nose is drying, skin is drying, water is drying, and even the clothes I washed few minutes ago is already drying. Lol. But we thank God. 

I had to quickly run to the salon. A #TeamNatural dare not rock her natural hair during the harmattan season. The hair will become so dry, and dryness causes breakage. Nobody wants that. So I had to cover my hair in a protective style by wearing a synthetic weave. I'm not very certain I like it yet. Is it fine?

* * ** *** ***

Mehn, I can't emphasize the importance of this very message to my life right about now. I hear it at almost every hour. 

"Be still, and know that I am God."
"Be still, and know that I am God."
"Be still, and know that I am God."

These eight words are powerful. They hold the secret for a victorious life, the secret for keeping our priorities in check, the secret for a balanced life, the secret for a life of peace and contentment, the secret for a life that blesses others and brings glory to God, the secret of a life filled with positivity, inspiration and love.

If you don’t learn to be still, you’ll never really be able to learn to know God.

Lemme stop here. There are so many things I want to share with you. But we have to take it one post at a time. Youknowwhamsayin' *winks*

Ah, it feels soooo gooood to be back on the blogosphere. Although I'd sneaked in on some blogs on Saturday and yesterday. I couldn't help it! I missed you and prayed for you. Thanks for being there. You rock!

Let's chat in the comment box below. :)

Written by Nwamaka Ajaegbu 

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Heart Rays . . .giving out  the light.