Listening to my favorite podcast, I pumped my arms and powered down the country road.
Scanning the cornfields that flanked my path, I took in budding oaks that stood sentry over the pastoral scene. I was the queen of multitasking, and this was no exception. Exercising my body on a long walk, I stretched my mind with the day’s topic. Suddenly, I sensed a prompting to remove my ear buds, stop racking my brain, and bask in the sun on my face and the gravel under my feet.
With ear buds stowed in my pocket, a stillness settled over me. A red-winged blackbird flew from a nearby tree and soared overhead, keeping pace with my steps. I felt a loosening in my chest as God spoke to my soul: You don't have to figure everything out. Stop striving. I love you just as you are.
I tasted the salty tears that trailed down my cheeks. This message was a revelation. Even if I never listen to another podcast, read another book, follow another fitness plan, or make another resolution, the Lord loves me. Not because of my intellect or my ability to check items off of my to-do list, but because God created me. My mere existence, like the rolling hills and swath of indigo sky, glorifies my Creator.
We often seek God’s approval in doing and thinking the "right" things, but the truth of Christ’s unconditional affection feels like rain pouring down on a parched spirit. Our busyness can blind us to our soul’s yearning for a quiet place to deeply experience God’s love.
Today, my walks are filled with peace as I silence my own thoughts and, instead, listen for God’s grace in the stillness.
Find a quiet place where you can experience God.
(Photo courtesy of pixabay.)
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Sarah Rollandini is an aspiring author and an American Sign Language teacher at a public high school, working to shine the light of Christ in all of the dark places. On any given day, you might find her walking her two rescue mutts, forcing her family into a board game challenge, or plumbing the profound insights found in Dove dark chocolate wrappers. Her greatest hope is to be an encourager of others who find themselves going toe to toe with God in their suffering. Sarah lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan, with her husband and their three children.