Be Still

Keep running and you don't notice anything.

You could say that my mission has given me a number of additional actions that I can take when presented with any situation. I have a stronger testimony that the answer to a problem just may be in the scriptures, and a better idea of how to find that answer. I've seen priesthood blessings work, and miracles roll out from the side of the road like tumbleweeds or Autobots. But the most unconventional action to take- at least for me- is "Do nothing."

There are times when God says "Wait." It does you no good to rush Him. He knows what He's doing. It does not good to run around in circles until something happens. That only leaves you dead from exhaustion by the time that the cavalry arrives.

Sometimes, you just have to stand there like a fool. And wait for something to happen.

We're not in any kind of race here. Anybody that tells you otherwise is getting their information from the other team. Take each item in its time. Tackle it, thoroughly and efficiently. Go to the next item on your list. As appropriate, distribute rest times throughout your schedule. "Fuel, no tires" may have given Lightning McQueen a temporary edge but then there came the point that he was breaking down, and then when he just couldn't move anymore.

I am reminded of family scripture study this past Sunday. Each time my littlest brother, Owen, took his turn reading he easily took as much time as the rest of us did because he's still working on his reading. I was frustrated at first but remembered the injunction to "Be still," as an investigator expressed it almost two years ago, and put the incident in its proper context. We were reading from the scriptures. Why did I care about getting to the end of the chapter in half the time?

I mention this because I don't mean "Be still" to be applied to your life only when you're waiting for something to come from Heaven (Though perhaps it might be a good idea, now that I phrase it that way, to apply it to the Second Coming and stop being so frantic about it. He'll get here when He gets here, now go do your duty and it'll be well for you no matter when He arrives). It's for everything. Don't rush. For anything.

But yes, it does apply specially well to matters heavenly. Especially to the realm of communication. One of the things that I have learned most strongly since returning home is just how hard it is for God to get through to someone that is always doing something, always listening to someone (else), always going somewhere. All those things make noise, and too much noise blocks out the most important signal.

The calling- the mantle, if you will- of being a full-time missionary for the LDS Church contributed to my spiritual sensitivity, but just as much did my strong desire to take things as they came and focus on each moment in its time. Discarding that, running like a headless chicken, I lost more sensitivity in a couple of weeks than I should have.