The Power Source for All that You Could Never Be

Posted on by Michele Morin

Serving as the substitute teacher on a field trip with a kindergarten class leaves plenty of room for disaster, but I didn’t expect to come away from the experience with sadness. We spent a May morning at the Coastal Maine Botanical Gardens, and the tulips, peonies, jonquils, and flowering trees were putting on quite a show in spite of the cool temperature and nippy breeze.

The colors and textures far exceeded my expectations, but sadly, my little companions raced on by with scarcely a glance. You see, they were on their way to the children’s garden. But while we were in the children’s garden, they were on their way to the tree house. And while we were exploring the tree house, they were on their way to look for the huge troll statues…

The Botanical Garden’s rules against running and climbing were major obstacles to the two most desirable activities the property afforded: running and climbing! Sadly, I realized that the small group of children I was responsible for had no capacity for enjoying the beauty of the trails through the garden or the fleeting glimpses of the river winding beyond the trees. Either by nature or nurture or the result of an unfortunate biochemical cocktail, my little friends were unable to slow down and focus on the present moment.

Stillness is a State of Being

I’m sympathetic to their situation because even though I’m old enough to be their grandmother, stillness doesn’t land easily in my world either–unless I plan for it. We’re pretty familiar with Scripture’s emphasis on a quiet heart:

Be still, and know that I am God.”

Psalm 46:10a

Frankly, I think this comes more easily to some of us than to others. However, this is also true of God’s commands to bold faith, abundant compassion, or daily immersion in the words of Scripture. Spiritual disciplines that come easily for you might seem nearly impossible to me.

We are not all equally disposed to the same kind of obedience, but we are all equally required to obey.

And if we know Christ, we are all equally enabled by the same Spirit.

My state of being, my natural inclination or need, is not an excuse for disobedience. However, it IS a powerful claim upon God’s intervention, a potent call upon the riches of God’s enablement.

Let’s finish reading the verse:

I will be exalted among the nations,
    I will be exalted in the earth!”

Psalm 46:10b

I am free to be still because God is all-powerful. He is working even when I am resting.

I am free to be less and to do less because God is exalted. He is everlastingly more. He is enough.

Who-God-is redeems who-I-am.

Thanks be to God!

What sin tendencies, weaknesses, or character flaws do you need to hold up to the Lord today for his mending?

Holding You in the Light,

“Be still and know that I am God.” Frankly, this comes more easily to some of us than to others. We are not all equally disposed to the same kind of obedience, but we are all equally required to obey. #bestill

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Published by Michele Morin

Michele Morin is a Bible teacher, writer, reader, and gardener committed to the truth that women can become confident Christ-followers and students of God's Word. She has been married to an unreasonably patient husband for thirty-plus years, and together they have four married sons and a growing fleet of adorable grandchildren. Michele loves hot tea and well-crafted sentences, poems that stop her in her tracks, and days at the ocean with the whole family. She laments biblical illiteracy and advocates for the prudent use of “little minutes.” She blogs at Living Our Days, and you can connect with her on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter.

22 thoughts on “The Power Source for All that You Could Never Be”

  2. I’m trying to imagine a kindergarten class at a botanical garden, Michele. I’m picturing it pretty much as you describe it. Then I think of my last trip to a botanical garden, the Mitchell Park Domes in Milwaukee with my 91-year-old aunt and my younger sister. Aunt Renate’s gentle pace and contentment level what I want to emulate, not the kindergarteners’ race for the next thing.

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  3. Oh I remember those days of trying to wrangle active boys into enjoying more quiet/ intentional activities and found that really only worked when the adults nearly matched the level of kids so we could each point out all the little treasures along the way! It is so hard for little ones to slow down and enjoy the stillness… something I have definitely gotten much better at (but could still work on for sure).

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  4. We’ve experienced the same things in a lot of attractions designed for children. I remember trying to show our boys something in a children’s museum when a class came in and everyone just ran around, nobody focusing on anything. And this was before the days of ubiquitous screens. I remember wondering if anyone actually got anything out of these places besides a lot of exercise and time with friends.

    But that’s true of us as well. We can race through the Bible to finish our designated reading for the day and forget to stop and actually take time to explore and take it in. What treasures we miss as we hurry through. I appreciate the encouragement to stillness and focus.

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  5. Oh, Michele, there is so much truth in this post! My boys, in their early years, had no idea what being still was, much less how it felt and what the benefits were. 🙂 I wonder if this is a discipline we develop in adulthood because 1) our frontal lobes are fused, and 2) we have gained a broader context of life and its brevity.

    I loved what you said here:

    “I am free to be still because God is all-powerful. He is working even when I am resting.

    I am free to be less and to do less because God is exalted. He is everlastingly more. He is enough.

    Who-God-is redeems who-I-am.”

    So beautifully said, my friend.

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  6. Michele, I agreed wholeheartedly with you when you said, “stillness doesn’t land easily in my world either–unless I plan for it.” Planning for stillness! Now that will preach, because it definitely does not happen on it’s own – not in my world, at least.

    I also loved your line: “Who-God-is redeems who-I-am. Truth is, I need redemption every day …

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  7. Excellent thoughts, Michele! I just wrote about the healing of stillness for my weekly post on Woman to Woman Ministries! Great minds think alike!! But oh, how we need the power of stillness!

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  8. My next series of posts reflects on the importance of stillness and the illustration you shared about the children gave me pause. Too often, I look for the next best thing when Jesus is right in front of me.

    Thank you, Michele!

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    1. Whoa, yes, we are chronic graspers and, therefore, always gasping for air, chasing the next big thing. So guilty and so convicted by the Spirit as I followed those little short-legged distraction machines!

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  9. “I am free to be still because God is all-powerful. He is working even when I am resting.” Boy, do I love this quote, Michelle! Thank you for this beautiful and poignant reminder of how it benefits us to “be still.”

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    1. I’m on the steep learning curve of realizing that my “being “ before God is more weighty than my doing. It’s counterintuitive and countercultural—but so very biblical!

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  10. I’m thinking about when I chaperoned a preschool class to a pumpkin patch. That was much easier because it was designed for running and climbing, their specialties. 🙂 I love your point that we are free to be still because God is still working.

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  11. Michele: I had to learn to be a good listener. But first, I had to learn to be still. I have learned that part of conversation with God is to listen; therefore, I have to be still when I am faced with an issue.

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    1. I’m reading Eugene Peterson right now and he actually differentials between reading the Bible and listening to God. We’ve made reading scripture into a cognitive and private experience rather than an interactive time with God.

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