Tag Archive | Peace

Romper Room Do Bee

Sep21

The original posting of this was posted by me on my Blogspot/Blogger blog, on Sunday, February 28, 2010. The message is still a part of my story, so I thought I would post it again.

…..”Romper Room   Do bee

When I was little there was a show on called Romper Room. The theme song said “Do be a do bee and don’t be a don’t bee.”

Well my “Do bee” and my “Don’t bee” have been colliding as of late. Stated another way, my Do-er and my Be-er have been having a fight.

My flesh says go and go, do and do. My spirit says stop striving. Listen for His heartbeat.

The only way to hear it is to be.

From just about every direction I’m hearing the same thing. Rest. Rest well. Repeat. Be intentional about listening. Reflect. Ponder.

Then, I feel like I’m doing that too much and being lazy.

I’ve really had to ask God where that line is. How can I be a “Do bee” and not cover His heartbeat with busy, and how can I be a “Don’t bee” without being slothful.

It is a fine line, but one that I believe He wants me to explore.

This mornings sermon implored us to put our whole faith in God. Trusting in Him alone to keep ourselves in balance. We cannot earn it or learn it. We have to look (at Him) and live.

I’m looking at Him, and believing that my hive will have the proper balance of “do-ing” and “be-ing” “…..

A lot has happened since that time.

I did indeed take the time to “Just be”.

I have quieted my soul. I have reflected. I have pondered.

And I have heard His heartbeat. Right there next to mine.

I’m not saying that every day is quiet and peaceful, but I am saying that there are more and more quiet days than ever before, and it soothes my nerves, and keeps my heart at peace.

I have in fact, been able to coach a few people in the “Art of Quietude”.

It may not be for everyone, but I urge you to try it. Even for a short time. You can even begin with three minutes!

What you need to know, is that it isn’t always easy, in fact, the distractions get downright overpowering.

But if you want a quiet spirit, and a quiet mind, it is possible to achieve it.

Romans 12 speaks of renewing our minds, I wholeheartedly believe it can be done.

You know the saying, “If I can do it, you can too”?

It’s so true – even my run away thoughts can be tamed.

Would you like to give it a try?

 

Bigger, Taller, Stronger

Sep19

Although I was tall in stature, taller by a head than most of my classmates, I’d always held the secret of being intimidated by giants. It was rare to be around girls taller than me, and when I was, I was intimidated.

As an adult, I am what many would call average height. So that part of my life came and went. What I never knew, until I grew older, was the non-physical baggage that that intimidation had left behind.

Sounds funny doesn’t it? Carrying baggage about being tall.

When you are bigger or taller than most your age, you are expected to act differently. Act your age. Straighten up, fly right. In my case, I was told to act my age and not my shoe size. Adults around me expected me to behave in a manner that wasn’t appropriate for my actual age.

So basically, what this leads to, is a little one not knowing how they are supposed to act, because they are not intellectually or emotionally to that stage yet. Some will act out, be loud, boisterous behave badly, others will hide away, building a hard shell around themselves for protection.

I’ve always thought myself a little of a split personality in this area. I went back and forth. The two sides of my personality did constant battle. I could act out, or I could hide.

My poor mother. She never knew which one would show up!

Now a days, I recognize that battle more about personality than size.

You see, I’m an introvert. I am not shy.

I am quite capable of taking the lead on things when needed, public speaking, or calling out things I may see as wrong.

The secret of introverts aren’t made up of by the lack of those traits.

The secret of introverts, is that they need much more time than the extrovert to charge up their inner batteries. When they are charged up, they often appear to be extroverts.

I said all this to say this. I don’t have to feel intimidated, and neither do you.

Get proper rest. Have adequate quiet time. (Adequate for you, everyone is different)

Take the time it takes to recharge.

When properly charged, you can be Bigger, Taller, Stronger. Or at least appear that way.

 

Floating Near the Surface

Sep14

In my previous post, I used this statistic; The average person in Western society is bombarded by 35-48 thought fragments  per minute. Per minute folks!

It is no wonder that our children (and our adults!) can’t concentrate. There is so much “noise” all the time – there is no room to hear our true voice, the one that lives inside of us.

And, after hearing all the noise that is provided to us, sorting out the truth is just that much more difficult. Our moral compasses have a difficult time defining true north.

This is why I advocate for quiet time. Just some time, a little, or a lot, depending on your personality and your circumstances.

Taking some time to turn off the noise, and do a deep dive into that really makes us who we are.

I find that without that time of quiescence, I find myself floating near the surface of truth, but not really connecting to it.

The quiet helps me to separate the truth from the noise.

Once I sort that out, I can burst through the surface, and really begin to connect with my dreams, my aspirations, and my passions.

In short, I can be who I was created to be.

In Mark 6:31 Jesus says this; “Come away by yourselves to a desolate place and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.
My goal is to do that for a little while each day, and longer when it is possible.
How about you? Have you connected with your inner life? Have you determined your dreams, and aspirations, and passions? Do you know what you’ve been created for?
I challenge you to find out. A little or a lot.
Are you up for it?