STILLNESS

Sometimes I ask God to reveal himself to me in creative ways. Through people, nature, a slum community or train ride. Today I sipped coffee on our team center’s little balcony and I asked God to show me something.

I looked into the distance at a small pond. A small brick house was sitting on the edge of the pond. The house’s brick wall made a perfect right angle as it cleanly intersected with the polished water surface, a glass floor without blemish. Maybe the most beautiful part of the scene was the perfect mirror image of the brick house in the water – an upside down replica that seemed like the real thing.

Then a breeze swept across the pond causing ripples. Evenly spaced lines of water took turns lapping against the small brick house. But now, the reflection of the brick house was distorted into a blurry abstract that drove my eyes crazy when I tried to really focus on the image. It resembled some sort of cartoon, a dream-like mirage or a wobbly house of melting wax.

It seems that we are like the pond in some ways, and Jesus the little brick house. He is the real thing, and we hope to become reflections of his truth and character.

But when winds come, people swim or pebbles are thrown, we often become busy, distracted, reactive and cease to reflect Jesus as clearly.

We really are like the water. We’re easily drained or may get full of ourselves. We easily make room for more and more, which gradually leads to the displacement of the essentials. This motion sustains a constant ripple of activity. And when small ripples evolve into splashes of foam – as we are nothing but activists – all that we can show is our own self.

But if we take time to calm down, wait, focus, listen and see – if we are capable of waiting in silence and openness – then maybe we’ll be able to embrace a more accurate reflection of Jesus. Maybe taking more time to marinate will enable us to soak deeply and change our flavor. Maybe it will no longer be about us, but about the image that is seen through us.

I’m reminded that often, I need to slow down, be quiet, be still and get out of the way so that Jesus can project himself on my life so that his character can be reflected to others who are also looking for the presence of God around them.