Stillness and the Slow Word

Did you write out Goals for yourself at the start of the New Year? Or did you, like many of us who have a hard time looking ahead at a sea of possibilities, choose a #OneWord for your theme this year? How are you doing with the practice of that word?

It's hard to imagine, but it's already the beginning of the 2nd quarter of this year! Many bloggers are doing a check-in about now, to evaluate their progress in how that One Word has affected their days this year.

 My heart has been resting,

and my mind has stopped

spinning so fast,

as I've begun 

the journey

to center

my 

heart

with Jesus.

If you chose a word for your focus, have you seen that word popping up everywhere?

Or perhaps you are finding many variations on your word that help to expand its meaning?

I began the process of slowing down several years ago. 
But there is a difference between moving slowly,

and being still of heart and soul.  

A slow life can just as easily be a

hard-hearted life

And believe me,
I have had enough of those 
hard-hearted moments
to last a life-time!   


God's Presence

and God's Word

have a way of seeping into the 
crevices and cracks of my heart

when I make the choice
to find stillness
and 
softness of heart. 

 

 

One of the ways that God began to stir my heart to see the difference between "slow" and "still" came as I followed a sweet blogger in her leading of a type of Scripture Reading called Lectio Divina.  I popped in at her Youtube channel several times last year, and always came away so refreshed.  When two other friends, from different sources, also joined in with the Lectio Divina, or "Slow Word-Divine Word" type of study, then I knew God was asking me to pay attention.

Lectio Divina is a type of Scripture listening, often read aloud.  This type of pausing and being quiet with the Scriptures is one more way to let the Word of Christ dwell in us richly.


But it was this particular passage, led by Summer Gross, for one of her Lectio Divina, that confirmed the direction in my Stillness Journey early this year:

 "Is there anyplace I can go to avoid your Spirit?
    to be out of your sight?
If I climb to the sky, you’re there!
    If I go underground, you’re there!
If I flew on morning’s wings
    to the far western horizon,
You’d find me in a minute—
    you’re already there waiting!
Then I said to myself, “Oh, he even sees me in the dark!
    At night I’m immersed in the light!”
It’s a fact: darkness isn’t dark to you;
    night and day, darkness and light, they’re all the same to you."

Psalm 139:7-12 MSG 

As the words of Scripture were read, and listened to, and I waited to hear what God would emphasize to me,

these words jumped out at me:

"you're already there waiting."

He had been waiting and speaking 

these same thoughts to me

for over a year:

"Come inside with me. I'm already here,

I'm not offended by any pain or shame you feel. 

I'm waiting for fellowship with you."

Only in softness can our hearts 

respond

when the invitation of God 

is given. 

Only in stillness can our minds

hear His call

when the Lord of Creation

speaks our name.

I have found a sweet rest in a quiet slow-word

Lectio Divina

type of hearing the Word of God.

During these final days of Lent,

as we wait for those moments

when we will pause and remember

the Cross that Jesus

carried,

are you ready to still

and to hear

HIS WORD

for you?

  

If you have a stirring in your heart to pursue more of this Slow Word movement, you can find a good description of Lectio Divina at the BibleGateway site

here.

And if you would like to hear a beautiful reading by Summer Joy Gross, please allow yourself a few moments to rest with God's Word here:

  

I am linking this week with: 

Debbie Kitterman, #TuneInThursday 

 Suzie Eller, #LiveFreeThursday