There are three kinds of people. Those that are chasing after something, those that are running from something, …and those that are standing still. …The world opens up to those that are standing still. -Moses, a character in the book “Bad Ground” by W. Dale Cramer
I read this quote recently and it has caused me to ponder… Is there truth in what this character shares in this fictional story? Are there three kinds of people: those that are chasing something, those that are running from something, and those that are standing still? Possibly we fit into each of these groups at different times in our lives, but where do we spend most of our time?
I am a strong proponent of pursuing our dreams, setting goals, and living life with purpose – which may seem that I fit in the ‘chasing something’ category. How does that mesh with ‘standing still’? Maybe the Moses character in this book is emphasizing the importance of regularly scheduled (or unscheduled) moments of standing still, or maybe it’s more of a lifestyle, or a combination of these ideas. (That’s why I like fiction! We are free to interpret it in the way we identify – or not identify - with it.)
Standing still. Moments of reflection, moments of seemingly nothingness. Yet, those same moments become ‘the world opening up before us’. In order for us to be able to pursue our dreams, accomplish our goals, and live life with purpose, I think we need consistent moments of standing still.
It is in those moments of “standing still” that circumstances begin to look different, priorities shift, and life takes on a fuller meaning. We stop just chasing something, or running from something. Moments of standing still on the outside results in a lifestyle of being able to stand still on the inside, in spite of what life throws at us.
Are we taking time for those moments of standing still? Your standing still make look different than mine. I tend to go walking along the shoreline of a nearby reservoir, or a bike ride through the countryside, or just lay in the grass and watch the clouds roll by.
These moments of standing still are likely a mix of very brief moments and extended periods of time. I recently had a period of 1-2 weeks where I craved clarity, direction, and even conviction in the areas needed. I yearned for an extended moment of standing still. I turned off the TV, the radio, the CDs, …even conversations with friends, to a degree. Did the world open up before me in the midst of standing still? I don’t think I would’ve used those words before reading the quote above, but in a way, maybe it did. I came away with a peace and a settledness within, and a resolve to pursue all that I am designed to be. Maybe that is what the character Moses is getting at when he says the world opens up before those that stand still.
What about you? What do your moments of standing still look like? How does the world open up before you in the midst of standing still?
21/05/2009 at 1:27 pm Permalink
I can see what is being said. The Bible does advocate moments of being still, and in the case of standing still and having the world open to you so you can see what opportunities are available to you, it could be easy to let certain opportunities to pass by if you are moving. That being said, I can’t help but think of one instance of running that the Apostle Paul mentioned in 1 Corinthians 9:24-25:
“Do you not know that in a race all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize.
Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last; but we do it to get a crown that will last forever.”
There is a running TO something that we as Christians should be concerned with, and a prize worth running for. Could the aspect of “being or standing still” be part of the training for this race?
22/05/2009 at 9:59 pm Permalink
I agree… in my “former life” I was so able to be busy, that “standing still” was difficult to find except in my quiet times in the morning, when I would stop and refocus and hear in my heart the words of God to me. In these last years I have had the “opportunity” to have “forced” times of standing still — and I have seen things in these moments that have brought me to a place of being able to honestly look at myself, my fears or weaknesses,… those things that I might not have wanted to put on a description of “me”. What a treasure, to be able to stop and see clearly and have the time to address those things in me that I didn’t have the time to really grapple with until I came through them with understanding and resulting freedom and the ability to actually change things. My world has opened up in these areas with clarity… I still don’t understand the bigger purpose of my life for this season, but I am understanding more who I am and my identity and I love that freedom piece of healing.