Be Still: Lessons for When Life Gets Loud

Stuck tight in a claustrophobic space, the machine surrounding me sounds like a jack hammer.

Don't move. Don't want to blur the images.

I try to breathe evenly. It's hard to swallow. I try to be still.

I think about being trapped under rubble, the aftermath of an earthquake maybe, the rescue workers using machines to try to free me and the other victims; I think about being trapped in life, in the places that seem without hope, with no way out.

The machine's loud hammering is jarring. My heart beats fast.

Life gets loud sometimes.

A terminal diagnosis, a death in the family, unemployment, chronic illness, failed surgery, a failed relationship, failure to thrive...

It's in those times, and in the MRI machine, that I hear in my mind,

Be still and know that I am God. I don't expect you to handle this on your own. You weren't designed for that. You need only ask and I will rescue you. I will carry you through the storm.

I breathe and I pray and I know who is in control. I am so thankful to know the One who holds me and my problems; the one who holds the future. I'm so grateful to know His heart, and how good it is.

When life gets loud, be still and remember who is holding you. He is strong enough to carry you safely through the storm.

When life gets loud, be still and remember, it might be your Rescuer working to free you.

Therapy for a Spine and a Heart

Some mornings, my husband turns my heating pad on before he starts his day, so that as I continue to sleep, the moist heat will start to soak into my spine which has stiffened through the night. If I don't take the time to thaw my spine every morning, to use some heat, a hot shower and gentle stretching, my spine will be less flexible and more painful all day.

The joints in my spine may someday fuse into one solid bone; that is the proverbial mission of Ankylosing Spondylitis, the form of inflammatory arthritis I have that attacks the spine and other joints.

As unpleasant as this sounds, surely there are worse things.

What if my heart gets stiff? What if it becomes inflexible, cold, seized up? What if I don't take the time to thaw out my heart? What if bitterness or resentment inflame?

To allow His warmth to press into my heart, I must shower it with awareness, service, compassion and thanksgiving. I must learn to see with His eyes and serve with His hands and continually count the ways He loves and cares for me.

If I don't thaw out my heart, it may eventually fuse cold, hard, unyielding.

I must take care to ensure that doesn't happen.

I must train it, like I train my spine to stand tall and to gently bend in physical therapy. I do home exercises, standing tall and making my spine make contact with the wall. This is painful.

I must also do my heart exercises. I must exercise it to care, to serve, and always to show compassion; to keep it in contact with His heart.

If I work daily with my spine, it may not fuse. If I work daily with my heart, it surely can't.

daily gratitude to thaw a heart:

little girls in horsey pajamas

tomato soup for a rainy day

bread in the bread machine

electricity for a heating pad

His messages

music, such a gift

physical therapy to train a spine

small group Bible study to train a heart

a warm bed

unceasing grace for every day

cinnamon muffins hot from the oven

her 7 year-old voice singing, "When We All See Jesus"

her 4 year-old kisses

What's Next in This Chapter?

After years of slavery, the people of Israel have escaped from captivity in Egypt and run into a big problem -- the Red Sea. The Red Sea lies between them and their freedom. Their hearts sink. There's no way for them to get through it or around it. They feel defeated.

But then they call out to God, questioning His plan.

"Why did you bring us out here to die in the wilderness?"


And Moses tells them:

"Don't be afraid. Just stand still and watch the Lord rescue you today. The Egyptians you see today will never be seen again. The Lord Himself will fight for you. Just stay calm."


{You probably know what happens next. God performs a miracle. He uses the Israelites' faith.}

He instructs them to get moving. To pick up their staffs and raise their hands over the sea and walk in.

So they do.

Let's just stop there a minute. This whole story could've ended another way. The Israelites might not have listened. They might not have used their faith, listened to God, and walked forward. The Egyptians would've caught up with them and re-captured them.


But they listened. They did what God was instructing them to do. They held onto their faith and their staffs and they moved forward.


And God performed a miracle. He divided the Red Sea into two parts, with an aisle of dry land between two mighty walls of water. The Israelites walked through, unharmed, and then God returned the water to normal and it swept over the Egyptians who were chasing the people of Israel and the Bible says that not a single one survived.

In the same chapter as the Israelites thought they would escape, the feared they would not. And then they were delivered.

Their Deliverer showed up!


And in the very first verse of the next chapter, the people of Israel are praising God for rescuing them and for granting them true freedom.


How does this apply to your life today?

In your current chapter of life, where are you? Are you trying to be free? Are you facing a huge barrier that seems insurmountable? Have you called out to God with doubt? Has He answered you yet? Is He rescuing you? Has He delivered you? Are you free?

A lot can change in just one chapter.


Just hang on -- the Lord will fight for you.

Shaped for God

From the moment we knew we were expecting our daughters, they were loved. Without knowing who they were or who they would be, an indescribable bond formed. It's incredible to me that God says He's loved us and consecrated us for a special plan since before even an ultrasound could reveal us.

One of my favorite verses on this subject is Jeremiah 1:5, in which God tells Jeremiah that He knew him before he was formed in the womb, and that before Jeremiah was even born, God set him apart to be a prophet.

Jeremiah tells God I'm too young, I don't have the words, I'm scared.... Help!

And God tells Jeremiah he's not too young, and that not only will He go with Jeremiah and give him the words to speak, He will calm Jeremiah's fear. "They will fight against you, but not prevail over you, for I am with you to deliver you" (1:19).

Jeremiah was not the only one God called. Do you know you are called to be His? Do you know you are remarkable? Do you know that out of all the inhabitants of the world, out of billions of people, you are seen and known by God, down to the number of hairs on your head and the number of days your life will span?

You are consecrated. You have been set apart for God's service, declared sacred, dedicated for a purpose. Overwhelming? Sometimes. Terrifying? Sometimes. Equipped by God? Always.

Grace's Gift

"God saved you by His grace when you believed. And you can't take credit for this; it is a gift from God."
Ephesians 2:8 NLT

While Judgment flicks lint from his suit jacket and wonders why others don't serve like he does, Grace watches carefully for those using their gifts, and thanks them for their ministry.

While Judgment gloats in his punctuality and perfect attendance, Grace greets the late with a warm heart and a warm hello.

While Judgment scrawls his name on the sign-up sheet for all to see, Grace shows up with sleeves rolled up, ready and willing to serve.

We are each given spiritual gifts, and are called to serve in different ways. Some sing and some teach, some play musical instruments and some preach; some introduce our little ones to Jesus, while others arrive early to unlock the doors and flood God's house with light.

While we learn to identify and utilize our individual spiritual gifts, there is one gift we have all been given and that is grace. We have all been shown a remarkable example of Christ's perfect love. Instead of being quick to criticize or judge, how can we learn to err on the side of grace, and instead of judgment, offer more love?

Let's love better. Grace is a "one size fits all" gift: it is wonderful both to give and receive, and never goes out of style.

Taking His Name

I pay for groceries and the check-out attendant says, "Thank you, Mrs. LeBlanc!" Sometimes they pronounce it correctly, but oftentimes they say "La-BLANK" or stumble over it apologetically.

When I married my husband, I wore a white dress, vowed to love and honor him through all my days, and became a LeBlanc. I took his name as my own, changing my driver's license and social security card to make it official.

When we become a Christian, we take the name of Christ and use it to identify ourselves. Lately I've been mulling over the seriousness of that name-change. If we profess to be Christian, we are "taking the Lord's name." We equate the command not to take the Lord's name in vain with profanity, but what if we profess to belong to Christ (we are His church, His bride, part of His family) and the name change is the only change we make? What if people stumble over the idea that I am a Christian; they had no idea or see nothing in me to merit the name-change?

What if His name, when used as my own, contains no value? Is that not vanity? Have I not, then, taken the Lord's name in vain? For nothing?

Jesus paid a high price for us. He has plans for us, for great futures of hope. He remembers us by the marks in His hands.

What can I give in return?

In His Image

“So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them.” Genesis 1:27

We often hear that our younger daughter Natalie looks like me, and while she also has some of my husband Jonathan’s features, in her eyes and smile I see a reflection of myself. Our older daughter, Hannah, bears more of a resemblance to Jonathan and his mom. One of the thrills of parenthood is seeing these glimpses of ourselves in our children.

This makes me wonder what God sees in me, His daughter. When my Heavenly Father looks at me, does He see His reflection?

The Bible says that we are created in the image of Christ. How can I, with my selfishness and weaknesses and flaws, possibly reflect Christ?

Do I have His eyes? Eyes that see through the bad to the good? Through the prickliness to the insecurity; through the judgment to the hurt? Eyes that see needs?

Are my hands like His? Hands that create, welcome children, bless people, heal, and serve? Hands that meet the needs I see with His eyes?

Are my feet His feet? Feet that go the distance to comfort and spread His good news? Feet that step out in faith and test the water?

All I know for sure is that the cry of my heart – my heart that He softens and shapes with His plans for me, with the losses and the victories – is to reflect Him. The external really makes no difference.

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This post is featured today as Rest Ministries' daily devotional. 

Rest Ministries is a Christian non-profit organization serving people with chronic pain and illness.

Sing Over Me

"The Lord your God is with you, the Mighty Warrior who saves. He will take great delight in you; in his love he will no longer rebuke you, but will rejoice over you with singing.” (Zephaniah 3:17)

Severe pain sent me to bed one day. Curled up, waiting for medication to deliver relief, tears spilled down my face. Hannah, my compassionate 6 year-old, crawled in next to me and stroked my hair as she began to sing to me, “Precious Girl / God loves you / God has a plan for you / Precious Mom.” I had never before heard the words or the tune Hannah sang and I felt incredibly comforted by her voice and her little hand on my head.

Peace and comfort settled over me like a warm blanket, and I knew that the words being sung over me and the hand delivering comfort were not just Hannah’s, but also God’s.

God speaks to us in many ways – through the Bible, through music, and through those willing to be His voice and hands. I doubt Hannah had any idea how much God was using her in that time of pain and fear, but I knew.

It is easy to feel a sense of isolation with chronic illness. It comforts me to know that God cares about all things, including my pain.

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This post is featured today as Rest Ministries' daily devotional. 

Rest Ministries is a Christian non-profit organization serving people with chronic pain and illness.

Image is my own original artwork.

Rest Ministries

I am pleased to be joining Rest Ministries' team of devotional writers. Rest Ministries is a Christian non-profit organization dedicated to serving people with chronic pain and illness.

You can find a bit of my heart here today.