Be Silent ... Be Still

I remember watching the movie, She's All That (1999) starring Freddie Prinze Jr. and Rachael Leigh Cook and being completely freaked out, uncomfortable, and confused at the part of the film where the "artsy folk" pranced around a cafe stage acting like lunatics for the sake of art.

Drama... running around... screaming... chaotic images displaying in the background... and then Rachael Leigh Cook makes her entrance covering them in a white sheet and repeatedly says, "be silent, be still." Albeit the whole scene is ridiculous and funny, she makes a point.

There are moments in our lives where we feel the world spinning around us. We can't catch our breath and we don't believe we're able to find a single soul out there who understands what we're going through. Frustrating.

So what do we do when we reach these points?

God calls us to be silent and be still. Exodus 14:14 states, "The Lord himself will fight for you. Just stay calm." Others versions translate calm as keeping your peace or being silent. Now the first part of this verse is very important stating, "The Lord himself will fight for you." We live in a world where we find it difficult to rely on anyone but ourselves and when something goes wrong we feel the need to fix it; one hundred percent of it. But sometimes, there are incidents that are out of our control.

I recently spoke with two friends that were having difficulties with their relationships. I could just see them standing in the middle of the room with their worlds running spastically around them. They asked two defining questions; "What do you do when you want out [of the relationship]?" and, "How do I go on from here?"Now, I've had a decent share of failed relationships, not just romantically, friendships too so having been hurt (maybe not to the extreme as my friends). I can tell you it is freeing when you allow Jesus to speak/fight for you.

So how do we get to that freedom? When we feel betrayed, alone, and purposeless, where do we go?

We first close our mouths, breathe in through your nose and out through your mouth (suddenly I'm having flashbacks of my 3rd grade P.E. teacher telling me how to run around the field). Seriously though, ShHhHush. If you do this, you're keeping yourself from not only hurting others but yourself as well. The Bible says, "For out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks" (Luke 6:45). When things are initially going crazy, try not to talk. Trust me.

Second, this isn't a stop, drop, and roll deal. This is a stop, shush, and stay calm deal. So by now you've said to yourself over and over not to say anything. What next? Don't DO anything that will hurt yourself or others. Stay calm. People do this in a variety of ways. For me personally I enjoy sitting at the piano and letting the keys speak for me. Others bake, some organize and my husband, he chops wood or changes the water in the fish tank. If you have no idea what to do, take a nap.

Being silent and calm will allow God to speak to you. What will God say? He usually gives you peace above anything else. Then He will give you patience and perseverance to continue enduring that day in-between because when it rains, it pours. And when the rain finally stops and the sun comes out, you'll smile knowing you can start fresh on a new day knowing nothing was said or done that would hurt you in the days ahead, keeping you from the good days God has for you.