"Be still and know that I am God." Be STILL? ............Really?..............

I really like doilies, old linens and lace.............they add a layer of beauty that tends to be either missing or in short supply in our culture of fast paced lifestyles and streamlined electronic gadgets.

 Don't get me wrong - electronics do have their place and I am very thankful for the computer and camera that I use to do these posts. I am thankful to be able to communicate quickly with missionary friends on the other side of the world or edit my many pictures on my computer.  I also benefit from other electronic "stuff". I just like to keep them in their place.............In my home, I ask that the cellphones not interfere with our family meals and that an iphone is not used while supposedly carrying on a conversation with another person. I reject the idea that a cellphone should be our very constant companion and I have great concerns that the extreme dependence we have on these items can make us feel less dependent on God. What a shame.

There are apps for so many things which can add ways to use smart phones or iphones. All sorts of games can be added so that you never have to be "bored".  Books can be loaded. Music programmed. Though I do not personally use them, I have observed many who do and I see that cell phones are used to track how far a person ran or where their children are at any given time. Pulse rate can be monitored. There is a directional app that tells how to go from "here to there". There is even an app that will tell you how much sleep you got, what level of sleep it was, how much dreaming you did and more......of course, you have to take it to bed with you for that to work. SO, not only is the cell phone a constant companion all day......it then becomes utterly important at night also. I am not saying that all people who use these are overly dependent on them, but I do wonder how many apps that are totally unnecessary, are used anyway, just because they are there and it is interesting or fun.

How many times do we allow our curiosity to lead us to use time that we didn't think we even had? It is so easy to say, "I just didn't have much time to spend extra time with God today." However, we may want to ask ourselves what we did with that time......did we look up all sorts of interesting, but actually very unimportant information on the computer or iphone? Did we text or message over some
trivial stuff that kept us from interacting with the people right beside us? Did we invest in eternity?....or did we just "entertain" ourselves?

God says "Be still and know that I am God." Be STILL? Hmmm.........Be STILL?  Really?..............That's not a very accepted idea in our restless culture. Do we want to just be distracted and kept busy in our lives............or do we want to "Be still and know that I am God."?

In all of our busyness, we find it difficult, if not impossible, to hear God's "still small voice". We hear news or music or friends or movies or laughter or other noises that keep us from hearing that "still small voice". I know that I, for one, could benefit from slowing down and removing some things from my already overloaded schedule. I don't want to continue to frantically move from one activity to another trying to "do it all" and miss out on the important things - like walking with my Savior every day in an attitude of thankfulness, confidence and peace and being ready to heed the nudging He gives me to minister to those around me.

WHO really is our constant companion? Do we REALLY want to have a cell phone as our "best friend"? We are cheating ourselves even as we neglect that important relationship that we take for granted. May we be focused on the right things and not let idle time steal our lives from us one moment at a time.

Again, I enjoy doilies, old linens and lace.........and china and tea and books and so much more. Maybe I need to slow things down a bit and add more of those things that invite me to slow down and reflect rather than rush. Are these things magic? No......and some people may not even LIKE them....and that is okay also. You may want to ask yourself what things could help you to slow your life down....or get your attention on the eternal things? It would be worth our time and attention to address the subject.

May God direct our thoughts to the more worthy things and help us to say no to the unimportant ones. May we have more attention to give to our families without being as distracted by our other interests. I know it is an ongoing challenge for me to weed out the "good" things to make room for the "best" things.


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