Be Still and know that I am God. (Psalm 46:10)

Hands up all those who have reached the point of ‘overwhelmed’? You too? Welcome to the club!
Most of the world seems to have moved online, making it an even noisier place than it was before (virtually speaking).

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We have people giving ideas about what to do and plenty offering free stuff to watch.  There are oodles and oodles of things to do with your children, and lots of political comment, a lot of it unhelpful and which certainly isn’t helping the digital overload.

And for the first time since the inter-web came into existence, we have a host of online/livestreamed/recorded church activities.

I’ve been hearing from people who are now so overloaded with information, they don’t know what to do.

When I first trained as a children’s nurse, I was told not to give too much choice to children. In the stressful environment of hospital, too much choice could add to the stress. I saw the results of this when well meaning parents brought in sack fulls of stuff for a child to do and as a result, their children went into meltdown mode. They didn’t need the toys. They needed a cuddle and to know they were loved.

This is what I’m now seeing, and not just in children. Everybody is scared and stressed, and at the same time are being bombarded with too much online ‘stuff’, and it’s not helping.

Against this noisy backdrop, “be still and know that I am God” is a helpful verse at this time.

It doesn’t mean being physically still. Some say it’s literal translation is “shut up” and know. I think of it more like, just stop what you’re doing for a moment, stop your busyness and noise – and remember: I am God.

. . . And it’s important to say to families: you don’t have to do everything. This is NOT home schooling. It’s finding a pace and routine that fits your family. Like those families I met when nursing, your children just need to be held, physically or metaphorically, and know they are loved. They need to know it’s ok to worry and be afraid – admit your own fear and model a godly way forward within that fear.

And those of us with no children at home, I’m also giving you permission to just stop. Be still. Wait and ponder.
In the midst of this chaos, find your level. I’m writing this looking out over my garden and watching the birds – for them, the world is going on as normal.

If you’re feeling guilty because your ministry doesn’t have an online presence, don’t worry. Be there for the one. The one person, the one family, the one neighbour. It’s still ministry. It’s unseen, but it’s still valuable.

If you’re feeling guilty because you can’t help everyone, don’t. That overwhelmed state will lead to being unable to do anything for anyone. Stop, be still and pray. It is so easy to be overwhelmed with grief for so many struggling at this time, so think: is there just one thing where you can make a difference? Choose and stick to that thing and do it well.

Be prayerful of other situations, but recognize you can’t do everything. There will be others who will choose a different ‘one thing’. That one thing may well be just looking out for your family so that resources can go to those who have no family. . .

You have permission to stop, re-calibrate and think. . . .

In the absence of physical hugs, may you be aware of a virtual hug from God.

(Excerpt from Christianity Today. Article by Kay Morgan-Gurr.)

(Photo by Sylwia Bartyzel on Unsplash)