Of course my first challenge had to be something ridiculous to blog about… still life. Or, maybe it really isn’t actually so ridiculous.
Maybe I am wrong, but when I think of a “still” life, I equate it with a simple life, and I have a feeling that many others would do the same. Or, maybe it could be viewed through the various forms of meditative practices.
Whatever the case, my guess is that many people truly desire to live a stiller life, and many probably need to even if they don’t realize it. It can be seen in the ways that people try to simplify their lives, to remove clutter and get rid of distractions. Tiny houses are built to force a person to take stock of what they really need. Books are written giving ideas on how to organize your home to make it more peaceful and balanced. There is a whole sub-culture at work trying to build a framework for simple, peaceful, still lives.
The truth is though, life is complicated, it is seldom outwardly peaceful and, we might get moments of stillness, but they are overwhelmed by all the unstillness of the rest of life. So, what do we do, can we actually have any lasting stillness and peace? I believe we can.
Over 2500 years ago, a man named Elijah faced off with over 800 prophets in a duel to see whose god was stronger. After Elijah’s God undeniably kicking their butts, the queen, whom the 800+ prophets served, vowed to destroy Elijah. Despite an overwhelming victory fresh in his memory, he turned tail and ran, literally.
Elijah’s life was full of complicated confrontations with the monarchy. He would bring a message from God, calling for the king to lead his country in obedience to what God had asked them to do, and the king would refuse. This threat from the queen was his last straw, he was finished.
God wasn’t finished with him though, and this is where stillness comes in. God wanted to encourage Elijah and prepare him for his upcoming assignments, which would yield more conflicts. So, God takes a stroll by the cave Elijah is hiding in. First a wind so strong it breaks rocks comes screaming by, then an earthquake, followed by a raging fire. And then a… gentle… whisper. Elijah had just seen God humiliate 850 false prophets in a brilliant display of power, and it would be easy to think that that is God’s style. But, God showed Elijah that His truly potent power is in stillness and peace, this is the power that will change lives. Even in all the complicated areas of his life, Elijah found strength in the stillness and peace of God.
It seems to me that we can do all sorts of things to make our lives more still. We can watch less tv, we can delete our Facebook account, we can move into a tiny house in the woods where no one will ever find us. But, something will always come up to make life complicated. There will always be confrontations with people we don’t see eye-to-eye with, there will always be work to do, there will always be something. And, if we somehow manage to remove all of those(good luck) there will be some inner demon trying to torment us.
Fortunately, there is a way to have a still life, and I have increasingly found Him to be helping me trust Him when life gets complicated or gets off track.
The Endurance Memoirs 