#22 Peace Be Still

My mother has given me a lot of advice in my life and most of it has been good. Of all the things she's ever told me the thing that I return to time and time again is her admonishment to be quiet, stay still and listen for the small voice from inside that never leads me astray. My mother told me when I was 17 and about to go to college that she'd taken me as far as she could. She was my mother, but I didn't belong to her. She saw herself as the caretaker to God's property (no relation to Kirk Franklin-who by the way has a gospel workout tape,praise Jesus and pass the Atkins). As proprietor she had to teach me how to make good decisions, but ultimatly she couldn't make me do anything. Her job was to demonstrate the reality of consequence. Once grown, however, she couldn't , nor would she try, to guide my life. "Your decisions are yours. I raised you to be a man now you have to be one."



She has stayed true to her word. Mother is always there for me as emotional support and cheerleader, but she hasn't tried to tell me what to do since I was 17. She does tell me when she thinks I'm way off base or totally wrong but she never tries to impose her view. When I feel mixed up, confussed or like an unholy weight is bearing down she always says, "Peace. Be still and things will come to you. That's harder than it sounds sometimes but it's always right. When I have followed that advice things fell into place. When I don't take time to listen, or when I act contrary to what the small still voice says I go wrong. I don't remember any situation I've been in that has worked out because I got stressed out. I can, however, name many times that quiet introspection and faithful patience have shown me the way.

I look around at the children that I work with and it's easy to see that the concept of quiet reflection and listening to their inner selves is a foriegn concept. So many of them are caught up into instant gratification that any situation requiring patience, stillness or introspection makes them angry, upset and confused. I'm sure there are psycho/social/economic reasons for that but I'm not a psychologist, a sociologist or an economic theorist. All I know is what I see and interpret. It's clear that these children are surrounded by stressed out adults who don't know how to cope. Some of the children are abused as a result, others are neglected but all of them have the idea of life being a diversion and deep thought being a waste of time.

I wish I could make my mother into all of their mothers so she could advise and teach them to be still and at peace. I tell people all the time that it's impossible to talk and listen at the same time. That's true with whatever concept one has of god, and people tend to talk so much they drown out the sound of creation. Thank God that I can still hear and I thank my mother to for it's listening that will make all of the difference.