Be Still
I have this devotional that I try to read daily. I’ve been working on making this a habit for the last few months. I bought it on a whim a couple of months ago, because I felt like my soul needed some serious nourishing. After a lifetime (literally) in Catholic schools, just attending weekly mass wasn’t really feeding my soul the way I needed it to.
Anyway, yesterday’s verse was Psalm 46:10 “Be still, and know that I am God.”
As I reflected on that, I thought about how busy we always are – or make ourselves. It seems our generation is in the business of busy-ness. We schedule ourselves to within an inch of our lives, and that makes it very difficult to just be still. Between work, appointments, playdates, lunch dates, birthdays, family dinners, and on and on and on, we never have time to just stop and think.
The last few weeks have been brutal for me. I have had photo sessions, trips (more than one), mommy and me, runs, playdates, and I’ve been trying to squeeze the most out of every moment. I took a trip to Disney with my little guy, a girlfriend, and her daughter and we returned on Thursday afternoon. Friday morning I woke up with a stomach virus. Friday afternoon I get a call that my grandmother, who is 99 and lives with my aunt in Orlando, is in the hospital and isn’t doing too hot. So Eddie and I made the decision to pack up and take off first thing Saturday morning. Still reeling from a stomach virus, that drive was probably the worst I have ever suffered (including the return trip from my bachelorette party, hungover and miserable). I had a party I was supposed to shoot and I had to find a replacement photographer for, we missed Caleb’s first swim class, and we had to cancel on dinner plans we had made. To add insult to injury, Eddie caught the same bug while we were up there. Needless to say, it has not been the most pleasant few days for us. And because I felt like I was burned out, I was snappy, cranky, and pretty downright bitchy.
Yesterday, I was still feeling pretty crummy, so I decided to take it easy. Our garage is being worked on, so even doing laundry was out of the question. And for a little while yesterday morning, I just sat in bed and played with Caleb. It was the best I had felt in a long time (mentally, anyway). I wasn’t thinking about all the things I had to do or all the tasks I had to accomplish. I knew there would be plenty of time for that. And after reading that passage in my devotional yesterday, I knew that I had given my mind and my body exactly the break they needed. And after reading it last night, I jotted a few notes for today’s post, turned off the light, and snuggled up against Eddie. We were still, and it was so peaceful (until my arm fell asleep under me).
Next time you feel like you are burning out, you probably are. Just take a moment and be still. I promise, you’ll be a lot better for it.
xo,
P.S. My grandma is doing better – she was moved to a rehab hospital yesterday, so if you could just send a prayer or two her way this week, I would really appreciate it.
And if you’re wondering which devotional I’m using, you can find it here.
