Restless

How do you tell a restless spirit to be still?

It isn’t easy, that’s for sure. Especially with all of the distractions that can compete for one’s attention in today’s technology-centered world: text messages, Facebook notifications, tweets, advertisements, animated billboards, smart phone apps, iPods, iPads, YouTube, The list goes on and on.

It can be so easy to lose focus.  Lately I wonder, however, if I even have a focus to lose in the first place.

See, I’ve been restless. Really restless. And I don’t know why. Part of me will want to just be still and breathe, while the other part of me won’t shut down, always looking for something else to do and somewhere else to go, devouring the distractions like a hungry dog emptying its food dish. 

When I’m busy or stressed, I long for stillness, silence, and room to just breathe, but when the opportunity comes, it drives me mad and I once again, against my own will, seek the distractions. 

I was thinking about all this the other day and wondering why it is so and what it would be like to fully embrace and carry out God’s command in Psalm 46 to, “Be still and know that I am God.” It sounds so easy, so simple, if you think of it in physical terms. But, again, how do you get a restless spirit to be still?

I sometimes envy the simplicity that encompasses a Buddhist’s lifestyle. If I wasn’t a Christian, I think I could easily embrace Buddhism.

G.R. Lewis, developer of a Buddhist website, buddhistfaith.tripod.com, explains the idea of a simple lifestyle: 

“Simplicity of life impels us to want or possess fewer things, appreciating more of what we have and using what we possess in the service of others. When we have fewer distractions in our lives then we can concentrate more in our inner realm and truly live the Buddha Dharma and manifest the nembutsu. At its core, simplicity is the living practice of reality as it is.”

I looked around my room after reading this and tried to imagine what it would be like to own less things, less distractions. I considered my various possessions and whether or not I could get along without each of them. I concluded that most of the stuff in my room is just that: stuff. And none of it is actually stuff that I need.  

I recently went on a road trip with some friends to the Jersey shore and we stayed with a family down there who none of us had ever met, but we were connected with through some mutual friends. They were very welcoming and hospitable, and even though they live in a very small home, they shared with us what little space they have, the two girls squeezing into their parents room so that we could stay in theirs. 

Looking around their small home, I noticed that there wasn’t any clutter. They didn’t have much stuff, and they seemed happy. The father said that when they moved into the tiny house, which had been converted from an old chicken slaughter house, they came from a three-story house and had to store most of their belongings in a trailer out front. He said that they quickly learned how much they really didn’t need and could do without.

I think this is one of the secrets to obtaining peace and happiness: learning to do without and genuinely appreciating what you do  have. Always wanting more and filling one’s time and space with more things and pointless activities just makes a person more restless.

Of course, sometimes we can’t control our environments, and what goes on around us. No matter how hard we try to escape, the distractions will always be there. That’s life. It’s not always easy. However, it’s not always impossible either. 

The account of when Jesus calmed the storm comes to mind, and I wonder if the same God who stilled the waves could still my soul as well. Of course he can. I just need to let him. 

What about you? Do you ever feel restless and unable to just be still, knowing that He is God? Or am I the only one?  Maybe if we were to let God calm our hearts the way He did the storm, we would find the peace that we long for.

The Storm

(A poem I wrote a couple years ago)

I can just feel the waves all around me
Tossing the boat up and down
And I can see Him sleeping in the corner
Unaware that we’re about to drown
And I can hear myself yell

Where are You now
In the middle of the storm
Where are You now
When I need you the most
Why do You sleep
Don’t You even care

I can just see Him stand and look at me
With eyes that see in my soul
And I can hear Him rebuke the wind and waves
As the storm turns to a quiet calm
And I hear Him say to me

Where’s your faith now
In the middle of the storm
Where’s your faith now
When you need it the most
Why do you fear
Don’t you know I’m here

And I know He’s here
In the middle of the storm

A Place in the Choir

In kindergarten, my favorite song was called “All God’s Critters” and the lyrics went something like this:

“All God’s critters got a place in the choir,

Some sing low, some sing higher,

Some sing aloud on the telephone wire,

And some just clap their hands, or paws, or whatever they’ve got! Yeah!”

When you get to that last line, you clap your hands in sync with each syllable. Then at the end, you don’t just say “yeah”, you gotta shout it out, or it’ll ruin the whole song. Actually, I think I used to shout not just the “yeah”, but the whole song. I probably drove my parents nuts.

Anyway, I was recently reminded of this song as I was taking a walk and listening to the birds sing all around me. I love to just be quiet and listen to the sounds of nature. It’s a thrilling thing, in my opinion, to allow oneself to get caught up in the natural chorus of praise that shouts out God’s name all around us every day. I sometimes feel sorry for the people who don’t notice it, or even are somehow annoyed by it.

It also makes me wonder how anyone could not believe in God. How could all of this come into existence simply by chance? And how could one deny the existence of the One that it so clearly points to, so clearly glorifies, so clearly magnifies? It blows my mind.

Wanna know what else blows my mind? Crickets. No, seriously, crickets. Listen to this:

Stop trying to read ahead! Hit the “play” button now before reading any further. (Or, if the video doesn't work for you, try this link: http://www.christopherhopper.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Crickets-Soundtrack.mp3)

In case you didn’t get what that was, there are two tracks playing on top of each other. One is a recording of crickets at normal speed, the other is a recording of crickets slowed down to the lifetime equivalency of a human, as crickets have a very short lifetime. There are no voices or instruments added. It’s just the two tracks of crickets.

Pretty crazy, huh? Kinda gives me chills.

Jesus once said that if His worshippers were to be silent, the rocks would cry out. I think he meant it. Literally.

See, I believe that we were all created for a purpose, and that purpose has nothing to do with us or satisfying our wants or fulfilling our dreams. We were created to glorify God, worship God, love God. And I believe that in this only is where we will truly find fulfillment.

Of course, this may not look the same for one person as it does another, because God created each of us to be unique.

So, all of God’s critters have a place in the choir. Where’s yours?