Noise, Confusion, And Madness All Around?
Yield to stillness.
Every time I fly somewhere alone, the strangest and most wonderful thing happens. I enter another time and space, a place of stillness.
It happens because I choose it.
It starts slowly.
It begins as I pack and finish things that must be done before I leave. Travel day arrives, usually long before dawn. Next, the hour-plus trip to the airport, Del driving, me dozing or watching the road go by.
He drops me off, we hug and kiss, and I turn sadly away, rolling my suitcase towards the terminal, ready for what comes next.
As the sliding doors open, the next phase begins.
It’s all hustle and bustle, lights, action, crowds, shiny floors, and people everywhere.
Some are lagging, some are hurrying, some know where they are going, and others stand and wait for more information.
Line managed, bag checked, thanks to the many helpers, stop at the restroom, navigate the checkpoint, find the gate, find a seat, and the next step towards stillness begins.
After briefly checking my email, I read.
This is when time and space begin to shift toward stillness.
Even the herding into the plane doesn’t disturb the shell that began to form.
Once seated, I am ready for what happens next or what doesn’t happen next. Encased in this small space, nothing goes on.
Outside the plane, other people see the plane leave, travel through the air, and land again. Inside the plane, we sit in our seats, reading, watching computers, or sleeping.
A few hours later, we leave our seats in a different time zone, with different vegetation, air, and smells. World events have continued while we traveled. I knew nothing of it.
For me, time in the silver tube called an airplane is a mini vacation away from the world and into stillness.
Not everyone finds stillness sitting in an airplane. No matter.
If we want it, we can always find stillness wherever we are because stillness is a quality of the Divine.
It is always within and with us. And within stillness, time dissolves.
It reminds me of the Bible statement, But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.*
I have experienced that much-desired stillness while washing the dishes, dancing, sitting under a tree, cleaning the house, writing, rocking a baby, jogging, gardening, and reading. Yes, the list can be endless for all of us.
I think there are days designed to allow us to experience stillness if we take the opportunity. Days like a day after a holiday. The holiday busyness is over, and a “still” day is present if we take it.
One of my favorite symbols of stillness is the hummingbird, known as the harbinger of joy and a messenger between two worlds.
The constant flitting of a hummingbird may be the first thing we see, so we mistakenly label it as rushing about. However, if you watch closely, its internal stillness becomes apparent.
While doing its purpose, it finds stillness.
What is the catalyst for experiencing this harmonious quality called stillness?
For me, it is yielding to it. When traveling, I yield to the preparation, the hustle and bustle of the airport, and the act of flying.
At all times, it is yielding to the business of life and to living our purpose.
In yielding to the divine force, which is the foundation and substance of everything, we find the joy, security, and peace of a “day with the Lord.”
It is a reminder that no matter what life may look like from the outside, within, there is stillness. It is in that stillness that all the human hypotheses and opinions that will never be still fade away.
Isn’t this what we all yearn for?
The experience of a harmonious stillness where everything works, nothing but good goes on, and all we need and desire is present before we even ask for it.
Yielding takes practice, but the more we do it, the easier it gets.
What lights the way is the knowledge that there will be moments when what isn’t necessary simply drops away, revealing the perfection of Divine eternal stillness.
The more we practice yielding, the more moments of stillness we experience until one day, that is all there is.
Watch the hummingbird, you’ll see!
II Peter 3: 8 1
My free Truth4Today can be a moment of stillness. Get it here.