Be Still

Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10). This simple, yet profound piece of advice is one of my favorite scriptures in the bible. Never have I thought more about these words than I have in the past year.

I cannot think of anyone who hasn’t be affected by COVID-19. Whether you moved from office to home or the unemployment line, lost a loved one, friend, or acquaintance to this virus, or maybe you were even forced to look at what was really important in your life. For me, it was all of those things. I was forced to be still.

Being still meant that I had time to think, breathe, appreciate, be grateful, evaluate, plan, discover, and even serve. It meant that I no longer took for granted the little things or the big ones. I slowed down and it felt good.

There were days I sat outside and felt the sun on my face. Not once did it feel like I was wasting time. I cooked and baked and made some delicious meals for myself. Never did I feel guilty about what I ate. I read books, watched movies, wrote letters, organized, finished a book, wrote a screenplay, took walks, talked to friends on the phone (in lieu of text messages), listened to music, talked to God (not just prayers), and found something good and positive in every, single day.

No magic happened and I can’t really say that I had an epiphany, but it was more of a slow, and steady realization that I needed to experience each day and what it offered without rushing on to the next thing.

I’m not happy we were all thrown into a pandemic and I cannot help but to be sad about the lives lost, dreams deferred, livelihoods shattered, or the chaos caused by a virus we never saw coming, but I can say that as a result, I am different, and prayerfully, and better person. Above all, I’ve learned to be still.