What I am.
What I am not.
What I want.
What I need.
What is inside of me.
What people see.
What I want them to see.
And I realized how much life gets in the way of God. How much, doing things gets in the way of what we are to become.
My life isn't too busy. I am not obligated to do something my every waking hour. I have time to breath. But, instead, I jump up and work on something else.
I am reading, painting, drawing, playing music, working on my novel, zooming through facebook, writing on a blog, checking my email, walking the dog, cleaning (not so much), watching TV, and the list goes on and on and on.
I am always busy. I don't sit down, Pause, and think. Just think about what is. I don't leave time for God.
Be still.
BE STILL commands the lord.
"Be still and Know that I am God"
I her this verse all the time, Heck I even have it on my wall. I have heard it so many times it has lost it's importance.
How, HOW can I be still, if I do not know God. How can I reflect and pause if I do not know God. How can I know that He is God, If I do not know what that means.
I realized, I did not know God. So I could never just be still, because my knowledge of God, what I think I understand, is just the beginning.
I thought I was good. That I knew who God was and that I was on solid ground. But In fact, I am more ignorant than I dared ever believe.
So now, I am learning. Learning about the ever Amazing God. Learning about learning.
I realized that If I ever knew everything about God. If God could be completely comprehended in a human mind, He wouldn't be a God worth worshiping.
So now, I am going to be still, and Know that he is God, and know that I can never fully understand who God is.
But wait.....There is more!
In this retreat, I learned a lot about life, but I also thought a lot about death. That isn't meant to sound all dark and depressing. But, in truth, it is something we all do/or should have in the back of our minds. One day, we all die. It is one of the only facts of life. But I didn't really think about after death, or how, or why, but rather what it meant for my life.
Here is an image that really put me on the spot.
Okay, I know not who this Martha is, I bet she was awesome. But I am more interested in the dates.
On your grave stone all there is is the day you were born, and the day you died.
All that is stated is the dash. The point between. What happens between life and death. The -.
The represents all you do in your life.
This idea of the dash life, as I am beginning to call it, brings me back to being Still and hitting pause.
In this day and age, we are always running towards something, always busy. Being busy, Always moving, What are we goiung to leave? what legacy?
What will fill our Dash, if we never take time to stop and see what we have done.
Stop and see who God is.
Stop and hear what God has to say.
Be still and Know God.
We leave a legacy. Whether it is good or bad, we leave stones for others to stand on. To follow in our foot steps. What legacy will your dash represent.
BUT THERE IS MORE!!!!!!!
"Life isn't all about what you accomplish, but who you are and who you belong to."
Who are we?
Who do we belong to?
These question can be answered in the silence. In the quiet place.
In a place of refuge. Life is more, more than running around, chasing a clock.
More than business.
More than Facebook,
More than a phone.
More than a book.
We can only truly know God, if we step back, step back from all the distractions and business of this world, and learn about God. Talk to God. To leave a meaningful dash, we must Be still and know the He is God.
~Tori, Over and out!
