October 25, 2004

Be Still and Know

Be Still and Know. These few words hold so much. Becoming peaceful, concentrated, and still, we touch the source of true wisdom, the living God in ourselves and in each person we meet. The key is listening. With attention, we learn to listen deeply to the quiet by turning down the volume of our thoughts. Listen at deeper and deeper levels, and become attentive to the subtlest of voices. When you finally hear the quietest voice, or some other awareness of message, you have the sensation of knowing. It is always a surprise to hear God’s voice, at once more fragile than a whisper and inescapable as a windstorm. To know is to touch something primordial within us.

This knowing feels like a tremendous gift – yet we cannot keep it. We cannot hold such wealth in one pair of hands. Therefore we share it, plainly without flourish, trusting that the truth is most visible when offered simply. These gifts of God are like seeds to be planted, and love to be shared. Preserving God’s grace for oneself becomes less urgent, and defending the boundaries of your self becomes unnecessary. Actually, we are freed of the need to be a separate self at all when we find God deep within ourselves; indeed, we may now dissolve ourselves in God.

5 comments:

Marjorie said...

Hello Meredith,
Your posts are beautiful, but they are beyond me. I know you are touching many people from the comments I've read. I would only ask that you consider giving concrete examples in some of your posts to help those of us who just aren't there yet (I loved your second comment on my post and I'd love to her more about your experiences; I know hearing them would make me a better mother). I would have e-mailed this to you instead of posting, but I didn't see any e-mail listed.

Blessings, Sparky

Unknown said...

Howdy Meredith:

Just thought I'd drop by seeing you have graced my new little blog with your presence.

The call to be still and know that I am God speaks strongly to me as well. It is the call we hear in the waiting worship of a Quaker Meeting. I'm not yet far enough along in my path to bear witness to it in my private devotions, nor can I witness to the obliteration of the distinction between self and God that you seem to have experienced.

But I am only 43 and yet have eternity to learn.

Handsome B. Wonderful said...

Beautiful words.
Just be.

Anonymous said...

Sweet

Larry Clayton said...

Glad to know that should I die tomorrow, someone like you with such an outstanding gift would still be blessing the world.