Actively Still

“Be still and know that I am God.”   Psalm 46:10

I recently enjoyed the Wyandot County Fair.  I walked through the buildings.  Ate fair food.  Bought two mums.  Visited with family and friends.  Enjoyed the country feel of my hometown roots.  The evening culminated in watching the chicken scramble.  I have watched it the past two years because I had family participating in it.

The chicken scramble is a noisy, fun, and very active event.  It takes place in a fenced in dirt arena with little children and lots of chickens.  The chickens are in cages and released to waiting children who are anxious to catch them and put them back into the cage.  Every child and every chicken are running in the arena trying to catch or trying not to be caught.  Some chickens even flew over the fence so as not to be caught.

It was a wild time of excited activity everywhere.  Adults were chasing the chickens that flew over the fence.  Little children were running all around the arena.  Chickens not knowing where to run.  And bleachers filled with laughing and cheering fans.  Quite the activity and excitement.  The county fair definitely fulfilled its promise to be fun and lively.  Quiet and stillness came when all the chickens were caught and put in the cage.  It was the completion of one round.  Then it began all over again with the next age group.

Sometimes life feels like a chicken scramble.  You are running around trying to catch up on the workload.  Trying to figure out life.  Trying to find who you are now.  Trying to stay on top of all the activities.  Trying to catch all the chickens for the day.  You are active but not always productive.  Productive but not always content.

You are striving to find peace and contentment in life, but the arena of life is filled with too many daily tasks to do – too many chickens.  You feel overwhelmed and think you need to catch them all.  You would like to escape for a while like some of those chickens who flew over the fence.  You are trying to control your world and those in it.  It feels like everything is your responsibility and you feel like you are doing it all alone.

My nephew, Wyatt, who is five years old was in the chicken scramble.  He is unable to walk on his own, so his stepmom held onto him around the waist and walked him in the arena to catch the chickens.  He caught four of them with the help of volunteers.  Wyatt was active and needed assistance.

God does not intend for you to figure everything out on your own and be in control.  You need assistance just like Wyatt to walk through life.  God does not want you to carry the worries and burdens of life by yourself.  The Psalmist recorded the Lord’s words – “Be still and know that I am God.”  Slowdown.  Take a breath.  Be still.  Be actively still.  This sounds like a contradiction, but it is not.  I found this phrase in a recent Our Daily Bread devotion.

To be actively still means you trust God and in faith give control of each situation of your life to God.  You obey God in what He calls you to do in the situation, but you accept that God is in charge.  You are active doing your part, and still while God does His part.  Your activeness is your obedience and surrender to God.  It is allowing God to carry you, lead you, hold you up just like Wyatt and still enjoy life to the fullest.  You are not alone.  Quit running with all the chickens and trying to do it all.  Be still.  Just do your part.  Catch your chickens and let others catch their own.