Be Still, Wonder Woman

Do you remember your first black eye?  Wait!  What?!  You have never had one? I remember mine.  6^th grade.  On the bus.  A fellow student called me a name.  Then they called a little boy with Down Syndrome a name.  That was it.  I opened my mouth and called that person a clever, (if I do say so myself) degrading twist of their name.  And while I was basking in my creative glory, I failed to see the fist coming to my face.  Yep.  True story.  Though I am normally shy and quiet, I can’t abide bullies.  I’m afraid if I had been in the garden with Jesus when he got arrested I would have been right alongside Peter slicing off body parts.  I am not proud of this, just being honest.

Exodus 14:14 says, “The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent.”  I eventually learned to take that verse to heart.  I stopped trying to be “Wonder Woman” (who happens to be the coolest super hero, just sayin’) on the playground and let Father do the fighting for me.  He showed me a different way to fight. While the bullies tried to tear down with words or fists, I would try to encourage and build up with words of encouragement and support.  Where I used to use a physical response or hurtful words, I would “kill them with kindness”.  Eventually, they just didn’t know what to do with me.  They got bored and left me and those they liked to pick on alone.

There are still days when I have to fight my “Wonder Woman fighter” tendencies.  It’s hard for me to let God do the work and just be still.  As I wait for Him to make His move, I sit there and try to come up with ways to get Him to move faster or insert myself into a plan that wasn’t meant for me.  And then when I’ve exhausted all of my own resources and am not good for anything, the first part of Psalm 96:10 comes to mind. “Be still, and know that I am God.”  Instead of spending my waiting time scheming how to get my way or get there sooner, I can spend that precious “still” time learning and remembering that God keeps His promises, is a Teacher, He disciplines us in love, He is good, He allows suffering for our good, and His instructions are priceless. (Psalm 119:65-72) Being still and working on my relationship with God is a much better use of my time when I am told to wait on Him.  Also, I am then much better prepared when God says, “Now Lisa!  It is time!” and I run with gleeful abandon with Father’s full approval. (after He reminds me to leave my Wonder Woman lasso behind.  Sigh. Old habits die hard)

Is God asking you to be still and wait on Him?  Put your weapons down.  Stop scheming.  Sit at His feet and bask in His Word.  There is no better preparation for when the time comes for you to be called into action. 

Being still with you,

Lisa