A small lake near Rotorua, Rotokawau
We stayed close to this lake with a youth trip five years ago, and of course I was struck by the stillness and the reflection. I would say it was quiet, but there were youths present. However, without the agitation of the wind's motion, the lake was a mirror.
"The unexamined life is not worth living," is a phrase attributed to Socrates, who was judged to be a wise person. It's quite possible these days to rush around without much in the way of stillness or time for reflection. We may be too busy at work and with church things, family and other commitments. We can eliminate inner stillness by scrolling social media or consuming content endlessly. This can be unconscious or deliberate, but the result is the same. We rush on without time to reflect on where we have been, who we might have hurt, what our successes or shortcomings were. Sometimes we need to be still and hold a mirror to our lives.
Sometimes sickness or circumstance brings us to a place where we have to be still, we have time on our hands. While difficult, these times can bear fruit in our spiritual lives and mental health. Resist the urge to populate the void with content, rather, embrace the silence for a time. In these times we can apprehend God's voice to us. I don't say that lightly, because I know many of us have experienced what seems like God's absence. Even this absence can minister to us, if we allow it. Jesus himself experienced a sense of the absence, if that were even possible. Don't be afraid of the stillness and the reflection. God is with you.
"The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still." (Exodus 14:14)
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