By Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil
Do you remember hearing any of these phrases at some point in your younger years: “Child, you need to stay still!” Or “Please sit still!” Or “Is it possible for you to spell still for one minute?” The first phrase was a frequent one I would hear on Saturday afternoons, as my late mother was fixing my hair with a hot comb in anticipation of Sunday worship services. At the time, I did not realize that I was being introduced to Psalm 46.
The process of getting my hair done with a hot comb meant that any sudden movement of my head could result in the harsh feeling of the hot comb on my ears or on the back of my neck. I remember that the fixing of my hair took a long time. Perhaps it only took an hour, but in the mind of a child, it took forever. What it also meant was that once my hair was done, I couldn’t run around with my friends and needed to choose calmer games to play till Sunday. I was deprived of the opportunity to play with neighborhood friends or go to the pool, since any of these activities would undo the curls my mother had worked on. Fun activities could resume after church services were over the following day. In my child’s mind, I understood “staying still” as a strict discipline.
In my adult years, I acquainted myself with Psalm 46 and went beyond verse 10 — “Be still and know I am God.” It is often a verse quoted, memorized, and referred to as the core of such psalm. The message version has an interesting perspective. It reads: “Step out of the traffic! Take a long, loving look at me, your High God.” The message version of Psalm 46:10 acknowledges movements, distractions, and the intentionality to remove ourselves or let those distractions pass us by and to focus on God.
Psalm 46 offers us many more truths to sit with and ponder. The stillness we are invited to linger in is no longer sedentary or dogmatic, but engages all our senses as our companion for the journey.
How might stillness be the invited guest at our dinner table? How would we approach this guest? What might this intentional companion want to share to us?
As we put the busyness of daily activities or summer obligations or expectations aside, I desire to discover the beauty of stillness with a new listening heart. The focus will no longer be on dogmatic-like discipline, but on an image of a gentle dance where the rhythm of the steps enables me to have deeper conversations with God.
May we all re-engage with stillness in this season, as a new hospitable companion.
Rev. Sandra Dorsainvil is an ordained minister with the American Baptist Churches USA, a ministry coach, spiritual director, author, and retreat facilitator who brings a cross-cultural perspective to her work. Deep listening, compassionate presence, and prayer are central to her ministry and coaching practice. She will facilitate a weekend retreat titled “May Stillness Be Your Companion” at Bon Secours from July 17-19.