.....stopping. (Beth P)

Believe it or not, there are actually quiet moments a lot at our house.  Seriously! I am not lying.  Sure, it may mean Russ has headphones in, Jedd is texting and Daniel is napping, but those activities do occur frequently at our house, AT the same time which equals quiet.  

While I do not like LOUD, and especially not loud and annoying (which happens a lot here too) I sometimes struggle with quiet.  I like a TV or radio on in the background.  I also struggle with slowing down. (I even eat fast. Moma was always trying to get me to slow down at supper.  It just wasn't lady-like to eat so fast.)  :) 

I the past year or so, I have been learning to embrace the quiet, the slow, and stillness. I am  stopping, turning off the TV(or at least hitting the mute button. Don't judge me) and being still. I stop and take a deep breath. Now what? (I hate to be bored. And I always feel like I should be doing something "productive".) 

Guess what? God would like a piece of that quiet with us. HE longs for it.

Have you ever read a verse for the Bible and then just sat back and thought about it, then suddenly you feel the Holy Spirit drawing you in? You read it again and it is one of those light-bulb moments? To be honest I can't say that I always give Him the time to even work like that. I don't often  STOP and just listen. Even when it is a time I have dedicated to a "moment with the Lord", I find I am often doing ALL the talking. 

Correy Russell, in the book Ancient Paths refers to it as "letting God fill our souls as well as our minds." He referred to the verse from the Sermon on the Mount, "Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled." Matthew 5:6

I wanna be filled. I want ALL He has to give. I NEED all He has to give. So I stop.  I take a deep breath and just try to listen. And I smile.  And be filled.

Just for a moment.  Be still.