Kontan Jou

A dew days ago srp said, “Sometimes in doing nothing we open our minds and hearts and ears to hear what God is trying to say. Good for you.”

Instead of a traditional VBS our church has a family version that takes place in the evening. The first hour is song and and scene. The theme this year was The Quest, an Indiana Jones type adventure where the main characters were searching for something missing in their life. After the first hour the children are dismissed to their areas and the adults have more song and then a speaker. The final theme was related to srp’s statement above…rest.

If you have read here before you may remember that I discussed being B.U.S.Y., using the acronym for Burdened Under Satan’s Yoke. We go and we go, taking little time to enjoy the beauty of life. Not only are we constantly on the move, but many of us feel guilty if we are not. We feel like it is a waste of time. Just now, I was typing and reached over to turn on the news while I finished this post. I wanted to multi-task. Type what I’m thinking, while keeping up with world events. Afterall, there is a lot going on right now and I want to be aware. I figured having the news in the background I would absorb the gist of the situation. When I realized what I had done I turned off the TV. It is at this time that I should be reflecting on this issue of rest. The issue of being still. We don’t take enough time to sit back and LISTEN to what God has to say. How many times do WE do all the talking? Would you do that at dinner with a friend? Would you monopolize the conversation, never stopping to see what is on your friend’s mind too? That’s what we do with God all the time. We tell him our burdens and how we want them fixed, rarely waiting for any response. I know there are some who don’t buy in to the whole God thing. As I have said before, that is your business. I don’t want to sit and monopolize the conversation any longer. It is time to step back…rest…relax…be still and know that God is in everything…EVEN when we don’t like or understand the situation. Taking the time to slow down in life is healthy. The stress level that a BUSY life breeds is unbelievable. I need to reduce it. Try a few minutes of silence. Try listening to God over coffee instead of talking to Him. But I never hear anything, some say. Then you are probably not listening. Listen with your eyes, ears, and heart.

Djembe showed me a picture that he took with his phone while driving to church Sunday. It was BEAUTIFUL. If I can figure out how to upload it to my computer I will share, but he said it was God’s slap in the face for him. I bet if we pay close attention God has one for us too. Maybe that is why we aren’t more reflective or more still. It is when we slow down that God is able to grab us by the shoulders and give us the good shaking we many times need.

De Colores and kontan jou.

* I ran across this post about being real…check out Touching Heaven and see what Suzy has to say. I think you will find it really hits home.