Sitting still...

Why is it that something so simple is so exceedingly difficult to do? Ironically, three weeks ago I would have been begging for the opportunity to sit and take a break... but now, as I look down the road paving the upcoming 7 weeks, all I can see is me sitting on a couch.

I am fighting against frustration, being so limited in my activity is making me a little crazy but I have to choose to remember that this is the time that God has ordained for me during this season. So, the question is less about whether I will enjoy the sitting and more about whether I will be submissive to the Lord and His good will for me. And in the submitting, will I do so with a grumbling spirit or with one filled with joy?

My heart is completely desiring to seek after the Lord's will for my life. I am thankful for God's Word in James 1:2-4, "Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds, for you know that the testing of your faith produces steadfastness. And let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing." These verses gave me such comfort as I suffered from physical pain for many, many months. Even still, they shall be a comfort, as I am now faced with a new trial, one of stillness.

I see my day swirl around me, the kids doing school with Dad, and the laundry being folded by a friend from church, and me being so tired by lunch I have to lay down for two hours before I can even eat. I have to believe, I do believe, that God already knew this day, designed this trial, orchestrated my life for this very moment. This trial, on the outside, from a human point-of-view, is not pleasant. However, Isaiah 55:9 reminds me, "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts higher than your thoughts." So, I choose to remember that while, to me, the sitting is aggravating, to the Lord it is His perfect instrument in conforming me into the image of His Son.

What choice, in light of Scripture, do I really have? I will strive for obedience, seeking to please and give glory to God, without complaint or grumbling. I will let you know how this "experiment" goes... me, learning to sit still... joyfully!