The Gifts of Imperfection Guidepost 8 - Cultivating Calm and Stillness

Letting go of anxiety as a way of life...

The Lord has been working on this a lot in my life over the last few years. For a lot of where I was (and at times, still am), I didn't know what to do with anxiety that would spring up in my life. So, since there was no release, it would just keep piling up. It was like trying to keep fitting more and more stuff in a box- hoping it would all magically go in there. Reality of course is that there was only so much that could be stuffed in until the seams burst.

This guidepost so spoke to me because it mirrors my story. My story of finding ways to healthily release the anxieties that would spring up and begin to pile up. There were a lot of things I changed but intentionality around calm and stillness was huge. I had to learn how to recognize when I needed to find (or cultivate) these things- breathing exercises, journaling, exercise, nature, and photography are just a few.

I have found that it is really only when I am fostering that calm and stillness that I am able to reflect - to reflect on what is stirring, reflect on God's movement, or simply reflect whatever is there. This is so vitally necessary as there is so much that calls us to live in perpetual sites of anxiety.

But I remember both Jesus and Paul speaking of a deep peace offered to us. I love how Paul refers to a peace that passes all understanding guarding our hearts and minds. A peace that guards us from crippling anxiety?