Finding Stillness through Photographs and More

TIME FOR STILLNESS

Stillness is hard to come by these days. It seems there is always something to think about or attend to. Things have happened that try to disrupt my peace and have somewhat succeeded when I dwelt on them. Yet, when I turned my focus back to God and what Jesus went through for me, my trials didn’t seem so bad after all. Don’t get me wrong. It’s not easy to deal with some of these issues, but I believe what this scripture tells us:

We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:28).

We may think we don't have time for stillness because of pressing issues. In an earlier post, I talked about finding stillness in different ways. In that post, I said, “I believe we can have a sense of calmness and tranquility without silence and with movement.” Of course, that doesn’t discount the fact that sometimes it does mean being still and quiet. 

In our #oneword2024 Facebook group, Lisa encouraged us to take photos of things that remind us of our word. So, I looked for things that could cover the calmness - with and without movement. Each photo reminds me of stillness though not all in the same way. Maybe they will help bring some calm to your day as you look at them.

PHOTOS TO REMIND ME OF STILLNESS 

The first picture is of Mimosa tree flowers. They are beautiful, but the trees can be very invasive. They are cropping up in different places on our property. To me, they are a picture of beautiful stillness. They don’t have to do anything to evoke a sense of calmness as I look at them in awe of their beauty. God has created so many amazing plants.

This second picture is of our nearly 10-year-old Maine Coon cat named Sebastian. He seems regal as he sits almost as if he posed for the picture. (In reality, it took several tries to get a picture of him facing me). He is not always still, but he does enjoy sleeping in a lap. 

This third picture is a Bombay cat named Smokey, who was a stray that came to live with us a few years ago. I think he's about three. He's curious but he also loves to take naps. His coat is so sleek and soft and he loves to have his tummy rubbed. (I thought only dogs liked that.) Both cats can be quite active, but there are plenty of times when they are still. 

FINDING STILLNESS BY PLAYING A GAME?

This next photo might have you scratching your head wondering how it could remind me of stillness. Well, remember my alternate definition of the word? In this case, stillness would be taking time away from the busyness for relaxation and recreation. Have you ever heard of the game, Qwirkle? It uses square tiles with different shapes and colors to be arranged in certain ways. I love how every time we play we end up with a unique design. Here's a photo showing some of the designs made as my husband and I played.

Sometimes playing a game is just the kind of "stillness" we need. I'm sure you could think of your own alternative ways to practice some stillness in your day. In another previous post, I used poetry to be creative with my one-word.

I love to sit beside water whether it be a lake or stream or even at the beach. There is something about water that is calming and refreshing, though water does have its rough times, too. This next photo is not recent but it reminds me of stillness. I used my phone camera to take the picture, then wrote the poem when we were on vacation at a lake in Maine. 

How about you? Can you take time for stillness today? When you do, feel free to share in the comments how you find stillness.

I'm linking up with: #oneword2024, #LetsHaveCoffee