The Season to be Still

Chuckle: "Time may be a great healer, but it is a lousy beautician."

Quote: "I hope your Christmas has a little touch of eternity in among the rush and pitter and all. It always seems such a mixture of this world and the next -- but that after all is the idea! --Evelyn Underhill

"Be still and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

My December 5th devotional dealt with handling stress during the Christmas holidays.  Some time ago, I ran across the following by Holly Gerth and wanted to share it with you.

"Tis the season to be busy. There are gifts to buy, meals to make, trips to take, decorations to be hung, songs to be sung, places to go, people to see… It's December 1st and I'm already tired. Anyone else?

I read the words... 'Be still and know that I am God.' Psalm 46:10. But how can I be still when there's so much going on? Of course, the first answer is to simplify my life.
Yet the kind of stillness God is talking about isn't just about my circumstances. It's about being still on the inside.

'I have stilled and quieted my soul; like a weaned child with its mother.' Psalm 131:2. What is a weaned child like? One that has learned to stop asking for more, more, more and instead simply rests in the arms of love, love, love.

My hurry and stress come from that want of more. I want to do more, be more, pack more in to these few short days. Then it seems God whispers to my heart, 'Enough. You are enough. You have enough. In the middle of the busy, make a quiet place inside and stay with me. My love is what you really need.'

I settle, quiet down, breathe a sigh of relief. The miracle of Christmas? God came for us so we could come to Him. Even (especially) in the busy, broken, chaos of our lives. 'Tis the season to be still.'"

Love, Jerry & Dotse