Tuesday, March 1

Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for him.
—Psalm 37:7

Of all the manifold blessings I have received, being a grandmother may be the very best. Two of my four grandchildren are right here in town, a twelve-minute drive away. I see them almost every day so am able to really know them, focus on them, and watch them grow and change.

I remember a time when they were toddlers: Miriam, three, with brown hair and enormous brown eyes; Frazier, one, blond-headed with eyes a wonderful grayish color that I'd never seen before. They were close enough in age to play together fairly well, for a WHILE. Usually, before long, one of them would be howling, but then they would settle down and become absorbed in their own worlds: Miriam drawing with crayons, Frazier playing with his truck.

One night, after their baths, they were cruising around their adjoining rooms in flannel pajamas, their wet hair combed back out of their eyes. They had played hard all day, so it wasn't long before they settled down on Miriam's floor with books. Their mom sat on the floor and I sat in a rocking chair, watching them.

From that vantage point, I could see how both children were becoming still, without even knowing it. Miriam "read" Frazier a story; Frazier kept nestling back on his mommy's lap, and I became mesmerized. It was like Stillness wrapped us in a warm cocoon, and I felt thoughts and tensions drain away, leaving me completely refreshed.

That is the kind of Stillness the psalmist speaks of: a calming, a letting go in mind and body. In that kind of Stillness, we can indeed wait patiently for the Lord.

Thank you, God, for Stillness and for the peace that accompanies it—the peace that surpasses all human understanding. Amen.

These Signposts originally appeared on explorefaith in 2006.