Stillness

Our lives are, in some sense, less still these days. Yes, we may be confined to our homes, but that does not quell the anxiousness or restlessness inside that keep our spirits from being still.

What I find so interesting is how the natural environment can easily lead us back to Stillness. While some find stillness in the night, perhaps at sunset, I find the stillness in the morning.

Often, there is a thick blanket of fog that mutes the sounds and colors around me. No longer can I see for miles across Puget Sound or the grandeur of the Olympics. And no longer can I hear the sounds that come from unseen birds, cars passing by, or kids playing next door. It is as if all sound has subsided and I am truly left with Stillness, wrapped in a blanket that prevents so much from breaking through.

Even in the mornings when the fog is not as thick, I still recognize the Stillness. Before the world starts to move, before the garbage trucks come around, before the dog starts barking, even before the sun has had a chance to burn off the creamy wetness in the air, stillness hangs and gently washes over me.

Perhaps you, like I, have a song that helps you still yourselves in unsettled times. For me, it is Mystery by the The Paul Winter Consort. They sing of Mystery as that force that brings forth life and change, whether it be the seed to a tree, or planets in their movements. “Oh Mystery, you are alive, I feel you all around.” In the last stanza they sing, “But when I listen deep inside, I feel best of all… I listen to your call. And I know you will guide me…”

Stillness transports me to Mystery – to God. It is the way I can find and connect to the Mystery that is all around me… and my heart is open wide.

May you find that Stillness in your life today. And may that Stillness help you to find the Mystery that guides all of Creation.

Rev. Dave Bieniek

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