There always seems to be a train traveling down the tracks somewhere in Orange.  

Most of my life I have lived near train tracks, so I am used to them, especially the sounds.  Whether it is the familiar sound of the engine’s air horn or the rhythmic pattern of the wheels clicking on the track, I find the sounds soothing and nostalgic.  

Noticing the amount of train traffic in this area caused me to start thinking about how there is always something coming in and going out.  There is always activity and moving of goods and products to somewhere else down the long track.

The work of the railroad is always going and never stops.  That is a fitting metaphor for the way most of us live our lives these days, especially families.  

There is always an activity, sport or event that family members are going to, and this is not just the kids, we adults are running down the track just as much.  

With the technology and media that seems to run our lives and the ever-increasing push to do more, we are always on the move.  Could there be a positive benefit for intentionally slowing down and even stopping and enjoying life? I would suggest that slowing down and acknowledging life is something all of us could find helpful.         

Psalm 46:10 says, “Be still, and know that I am God!  I will be honored by every nation. I will be honored throughout the world.” (NLT).  

For some of us to be still is a major effort.  Even in sleep, a lot of people toss and turn working out the latest questions, issues, and worries of life.  

We are constantly on the move looking for the better job, house and the preverbal grass.  What if you decided this summer to intentionally be still? What if you paused to smell the roses, the hay or even the morning breeze (even if it smells like the paper mill)?  There is nothing so pressing in life that we cannot stop, be still and know that He is God.

Often in the most difficult and painful times of life, we wonder where God is and why has He not done something.  Maybe in those moments, if we would stop, be still and rest in His Word, promise, and love we would see that He is doing more than we could ever see or understand.

I am becoming convinced that if we would practice being still before the Lord when things are going well, we would default to being still before Him and find rest when life gets hard.

The practice of being still before God means that we live less like the railroad and allow ourselves to stop and be still.  What are some ways you can be intentional about being still before God in your life this summer?

Intentional living produces outcomes that can change our present and future.  In God’s kingdom, there is always space and always a place for you and your family to stop and remember He Is God.  That Is Good News!

 

Rev. Brad McKenzie is Lead Pastor at Frist Church of the Nazarene, 3810 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive in Orange.