Be Still

On my Mom's piano is a little pewter plaque that reads "Be Still and Know that I am God."

These days, I read it when encouraging Hanna to play that piano.  She is not still while sitting at (or standing on, or twisting around on, or dangling from) said bench, nor is she a little Mozart.  She has fun.  She bangs on the keys.  She laughs and shrieks.  Nothing about the experience could be described as 'still.' 

But.  I still love the reminder of that verse.  It's almost like God telling me to chill out.  Eventually, Hanna finishes the clashing noises and settles for a nap, but until then, she is learning body control, and that she can make noises...there is SO much discovery and learning!  Angele is learning to fall asleep on her own (not against me), and I find myself confronting a to-do list.  It's almost like starting from scratch.  Sudden independence.  As if I have never successfully written out and completed a task list before (true, it is a bit of a distant memory), every day I have to stop and really think:  How do I organize?  What is most important? 

Those questions are not my strengths, and I am grateful about 800 times each morning and evening that it is one of Jesse's strengths, otherwise I would spend an entire day organizing 4 year old pictures rather than packing lunches, organizing laundry, and actually tackling the priorities within my to-do list.

 Often I sit and just want to START.  NOW!  It's a frustrating thing to find myself needing growth at this, instead of immediately being good at focusing and completing even just a task list: dishes, laundry, thank you notes, returning a phone call. 

As both girls nap, I opted to write for just a few minutes.  Be Still and Know that I am God.  Chill out.  It's almost like I need to learn how to master something just like Hanna with those piano keys.  One of the blessings of looking at my girls through parental eyes is to be able to get a glimpse of how my parents must still look at me, and even more so how God must look at all of His people: your effort is heartwarming, but you have so, so much to learn, Little One.  The two year old doesn't know she is playing 'music' that sounds abrasive. 

How many times I am a two year old doing my best but needing so much growth!!

I don't need to look for any more evidence; Hanna woke up from a short nap as I was writing and now my to-do's must be done while she is underfoot. 

Hanna helped me pick this one out.  That's about all I can do with her near my computer...until next time!

~C