It’s all about the hustle, or is it?

I stood next to our hosta plants, blooming with long stems of white flowers. I had just turned to say something to my family sitting on the desk, and something green and moving very fast zoomed around me.

I froze.

I would like to say it was fascination, but it was mainly fear. Why was this maniac bird levitating in the air? Was it secretly judging me? Evaluating if I was worth the trouble? Did the bird think I was a threat to these flowers?

“Um, there’s a hummingbird flying around me,” I said, my voice a little more shaky than it should have been. This was just a bird after all.

It’s green body was shaped like a long tube. Its wings moved so fast they were swirling wind storms of black and gray that sounded like a buzzing wasp.

“I see it,” my husband said.

“What do I do?” I breathed.

A feeling came over me. A peace. Two words. Be still.

The bird hovered near my right shoulder, clearly sizing me up, and then it zoomed off toward the far end of the farm. I exhaled.

I could almost hear my mom’s voice saying, “sit still.”

I heard this a lot growing up. I was an energetic kid, more tomboy than girl. I often could be found wandering our farm, uncovering rocks, jumping across the creek or wandering barefoot through the grass. Never still.

I often was red-faced, sweaty and my mop of naturally curly hair (not like Shirley Temple or Julia Robert, more like Albert Einstein). Sweat only enhanced the curls. Yes, I was a Gen X kid who didn’t come home until it was time to eat. I often had a jar with a lightening bug in it on my dresser.

How many times have we heard the words? Be still. Slow down. Take a breath.

The Bible tell us “Be still.” A quick Google search was a bit fruitless. It’s anywhere from 8 to 113, depending on your search. The most famous of verse of being still comes from Psalms 46:10. “Be still and know that I am God.”

Our society is more about how many things can we do in an hour. We are always trying to do more, be more, and then pat ourselves on the back for being efficient and awesome and motivated. Where is the time to be still? There isn’t. We are so busy being productive, we leave little space to breathe. Even our vacations become a race to see and do everything we can before we leave for home.

Rest is part of God’s plan for us. And yet, we reward those who are courageous enough not to be still. Be the hustle. Except when we hustle, we miss out. We miss out on the child who brings us dandelions. We miss out on the laughter of the child in the backyard playing tag.

We miss out on the beautiful fairy-like creatures whose wings beat in hyper speed and move with grace and mystery and awe.

Be still. And see what gift God has in store for you.