day 3K313: Stilling Down

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God, above politics, above everything.”

As you read this, I am been traveling (I wrote these past few weeks of posts before I left) internationally with Patti. I wrote this a few days before I left.  I was very much looking forward to some true downtime and trying to find times within the day to get really still.  I felt I needed this and my prayer is that I find that stillness.  I guess I won’t know if I was able to still down until I get back.  I think we all need this kind of time away and I get concerned with those who feel like they can’t let go of their work and busy lives long enough to have some quiet and still time.  Great leaders and bosses know that everyone needs downtime and those that don’t not only encourage, but enforce that whom they work with get true time away, won’t actually end up being the great leader and boss that they want to be.  Take an inventory today to check who hasn’t used their vacation time this year?  If you find those who haven’t, sit with them and help them decide when they are going to take a break.  If you see a trend where many are not using their vacation time, then it might be time to look in the mirror and ask what am I doing that is keeping others from not taking their time off?  It might be that we need to model first what it means to unplug and get still.

There are so many things in our world that want to keep us on the move and distracted away from being still.  Why? Because, when we become still we can begin to have long-thoughts and have a chance to hear God.  There is a real force that doesn’t want that to happen. Eugene Peterson’s Message version gives a good glimpse of what we need to turn from if we are truly going to still down.

Reference: Psalm 46:10 (The Message):  New Living Translation