By Dinecia Gates
Ready? Steady. Go!
These three words are typically stated at the beginning of a children’s race. This command signifies the beginning of a race by alerting the participant to get ready by steadying themselves to ensure a successful start and a victorious race. I never gave the saying much thought until I heard a still small voice one night.
“Steady! I’m trying to steady you.” These were words God spoke softly to me after a day of wrestling with myself. I felt so unsettled in my spirit and couldn’t figure out why. Before I’d fallen asleep, I asked the Lord what He was trying to show me through what I had experienced that day.
Find Stillness in God
“I’m trying to steady and prepare you! I want you to be more attentive to my voice. I want to steady you so that you can clearly see and understand what I’m doing in and around you. I am trying to steady you so that you are not easily moved by what comes and goes, and so you’re not controlled by your fleeting feelings. I’m asking you to slow down so I can steady and settle you. I need you to understand who you are. What lies ahead requires this.”
We have been so consumed with busyness that we fail to see the value and necessity of “steady” and “still.” Click To TweetThe word steady, by Merriam Webster’s definition, is to be “firmly fixed, supported, or balanced; not shaking or moving.” It also means “regular, even, and continuous in development, frequency, or intensity.” The command “steady” is often “used as a warning to someone to keep calm or take care.” Steadiness, or the art of being still, is not something that is particularly familiar or customary in our culture. We pride ourselves on being in constant motion. We are here and everywhere doing things for people all the time. We are busy people, yes, we are!
Busyness has become the new badge of honor. Unfortunately, that badge of honor has made us more anxious, fearful, confused, and empty. In fact, according to research, busyness has become a health concern. According to Joseph Bienvenu, a psychiatrist and director of the Anxiety Disorders Clinic at Johns Hopkins Hospital, “Emotional distress due to busyness manifests as difficulty focusing and concentrating, impatience and irritability, trouble getting adequate sleep, and mental and physical fatigue.” He continues: “This is a vicious cycle, of course. Emotional distress leads to trouble with sleep and fatigue, and lack of sleep and exercise leads to more distress.”
Confidence, Balance, and Focus
We have been so consumed with busyness that we fail to see the value and necessity of “steady” and “still.” To combat the detrimental effects of busyness, we must learn to take time to be still so that God can steady and settle us. It is in the steady and still where the light of the Son shines on things that need a little more attention. It is in the steady and still where weights and sins are identified and shed, thus allowing us to move forward in freedom with faith, confidence, balance, and focus. “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us” (Hebrews 12:1, NKJV).
Development and deepening happens in the steady and still. It is where we gain clarity and reassurance from God,
Development and deepening happens in the steady and still.
and He reveals things in us from which He wants to get glory. As the seasons change and the light of the sun is more present, I encourage you to enjoy the rays of sunshine. Grab an iced coffee or a cool drink, your journal, and head outside. Take a moment to be still, reflect, and steady yourself so you are prepared for the things God has in store. Ask yourself reflection questions. Let Him speak to you. Write your thoughts in your journal. Enjoy the Son-shine along with the sunshine!
Resources and Links
A version of this content originally appeared in Reflections. To see more content or subscribe, visit Reflections.