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My teenagers are learning to drive. Crazy how much I’ve forgotten from driver’s ed.

“Mom, you’re going too fast!”

“Mom, you’re following too close!”

“Mom, you didn’t come to a full and complete stop!”

After a few decades of driving, I’ve become a little lax about strictly following the rules of the road. I’m much more intentional about it now that my children are behind the wheel of a speeding ton of metal projectile. Talk about your heart roaming around outside your body.

I once came to a stop sign and consciously tried to come to a full and complete stop. I’m so glad I did. Not just because my son was watching, but because in that simple act I was reminded of how we often need to come to a full and complete stop in life.

In this season of life, it’s a miracle if I can get a full and complete stop for five minutes—to close my eyes and listen for God’s whispers. I want to be more intentional. When I take just a few minutes before the day gets away from me, to be still, it makes my day go much smoother. This holds true every … single … time.

Why don’t I do this amazing practice of centering in stillness every day? Distractions.

Telephone ringing, dinging, or whatever new sound my son has changed it to. That constant feeling of needing to catch up on something. Housework. Yard work. Facebook. Driving to and from everything. Volunteering. Being available to friends and family. Often, it’s the contents of my own mind running over the never-ending checklist of things I need to do.

But would the world end if we silenced our phone for five minutes? Would the to-do list mount even higher if we took a short break? Or would we instead be better equipped and more energized to tackle things?

Because of the rolling stops I apparently tend toward, I’ve made it a practice to not only fully stop but also to take a deep breath at every stop sign before moving on. I guess I could call this a mini-be-still. In this busy season of life, I know God smiles even upon the mini-be-stills.

What distractions can you minimize to come to a full and complete stop so you can breathe and simply be still?

(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)

(For more devotions, visit Christian Devotions.)