Be Still
Heartbroken. That was the day in December that we had to put our precious Boo kitty down so very unexpectedly. We THOUGHT we were taking her to the vet for gum problems and they’d “fix” her and we’d bring her home. She had a tumor in her jaw that they said we wouldn’t have known to look for. Shocked and numb at the same time, we said our goodbyes and held her to the end.
Now we have added a new kitten, a gorgeous domestic shorthair with seal points. That means she looks like a Siamese cat but isn’t, and has ice blue eyes. She has certainly won our hearts! We named her JoJo after both of our mothers, who had “Jo” in their names. And she is quite entertaining!
As I’ve watched three-month-old JoJo for the past two weeks, she reminds me of a new Christian. First thing in the morning, she is leaping and running everywhere, like a whirlwind, trying to see everything at once. She wants to experience all she sees. She doesn’t understand why Bebe, the old cat who’s 16, doesn’t share her enthusiasm and want to play. She’s oblivious to danger. After about two hours, she crashes and sleeps for hours. Then she’s up again, ready to go. That’s our day, ALL.DAY.LONG.
What comes to mind is how as a new Christian, we’re full of enthusiasm. We want to explore all of the Bible at once, learn it all on a crash course, and we’re on fire. My daughter’s friend told me about his brother who was arrested for stealing from his parents for drug money and found himself in jail. His brother said he hit rock bottom, found a Bible in jail, and started reading it. He started praying, and God met him. He’s now out, a changed man, and so excited about Jesus and the freedom of his soul. He’s in Bible studies, going to services, and praying A LOT. He’s like JoJo, full of enthusiasm.
“Yet those who wait for the Lord will gain new strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles,
they will run and not get tired, they will walk and not become weary.” Isaiah 40:31 NASB
That verse can apply to our walk with God—as a new Christian, we are flying high, on top of the world. As we mature, we are running the race and not getting tired. Then we walk and do not become weary.
How do we keep from getting tired and weary? Just as JoJo crashes and sleeps, we have to be still. (She will eventually lose her wings, stop running, and then start walking.)
As Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still and know that I am God.” That time we spend with the Lord in His word and in prayer is our refueling time. When we read through the gospels, there are so many mentions of Jesus walking away from the disciples, from the crowds, to a quiet place. He knew that even HE needed it.
There are seasons in our lives when we revert back to the “mounting up with wings like eagles” and we need those times. They generally come after the hard times, when we see God do God-things, right? While we don’t look forward to painful times, He uses them to grow us in ways we wouldn’t otherwise. That’s why we’re to “count it all joy,” because the end result is our growing to be more like Him.
Whether we are new believers flying high or seasoned veterans, we all need to take the time to be still and know that He is God.
