OCC Home Devotional Guide
OCC Home Devotional Guide
For Family, Group, or Individual Reflection
By Rev. Rob Fredrickson • Sunday, July 7, 2013
For Family, Group, or Individual Reflection
By Rev. Rob Fredrickson • Sunday, July 7, 2013
“Be still, and know that I am God!” — Psalm 46:10a (NRSV)
“Be still, and know that I am God!” — Psalm 46:10a (NRSV)
In 2010, the movie “The Karate Kid” was re-made. No Pat Morita
(RIP) or Ralph Macchio this time. Instead, the teacher/mentor was
Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan—and the young bullying victim turned
eager martial arts student was Dre, played by Jaden Smith.
There’s a remarkable scene in the movie when Mr. Han and Dre
hike up a very special mountain, seeing many people along the way
who are meditating and practicing various skills. Dre notices, with
understandable fascination, a woman who appears to be in a slowmotion, yoga-like stare-down with a deadly cobra.
He asks Mr. Han how she’s able to copy the movements of the
cobra so exactly, maintaining a nearly constant distance (only a
couple feet!) between her face and the snake’s. Mr. Han says that, in
fact, it’s the snake that’s copying the woman. Her slow and subtle
movements cause the cobra to follow suit.
“She controls the snake by doing nothing?” asks Dre.
The wise Mr. Han calmly replies, “Being still and doing nothing are
two very different things.”
There’s power to be found in stillness—power and serenity and
tranquility and depth and energy and perspective and insight and
peace. Ancient Chinese traditions remind us of this truth; ancient
Hebrew writings, such as the Psalms, do too.
But we, in our post-modern culture, largely ignore the practice of
stillness. With each passing year, the flow of information seems to
accelerate, the multi-tasking seems to intensify, and our calendars
seem to become more densely packed. We have become “human
doings.” Who has the time—let alone the attention span—for being a
human being? Who has the time to be still, even for a few breaths?
We would do ourselves a huge favor if we made time for stillness.
Take a walk in the park, without headphones or ear buds. Gaze at
some clouds, or some stars. Read the Bible (maybe even a Psalm or
two) for a few uninterrupted minutes. Soak in the beauty of music,
without doing anything else at the same time. Smell a flower.
Contemplate the incredible balance of nature. Pray, using few words.
In 2010, the movie “The Karate Kid” was re-made. No Pat Morita
(RIP) or Ralph Macchio this time. Instead, the teacher/mentor was
Mr. Han, played by Jackie Chan—and the young bullying victim turned
eager martial arts student was Dre, played by Jaden Smith.
There’s a remarkable scene in the movie when Mr. Han and Dre
hike up a very special mountain, seeing many people along the way
who are meditating and practicing various skills. Dre notices, with
understandable fascination, a woman who appears to be in a slowmotion, yoga-like stare-down with a deadly cobra.
He asks Mr. Han how she’s able to copy the movements of the
cobra so exactly, maintaining a nearly constant distance (only a
couple feet!) between her face and the snake’s. Mr. Han says that, in
fact, it’s the snake that’s copying the woman. Her slow and subtle
movements cause the cobra to follow suit.
“She controls the snake by doing nothing?” asks Dre.
The wise Mr. Han calmly replies, “Being still and doing nothing are
two very different things.”
There’s power to be found in stillness—power and serenity and
tranquility and depth and energy and perspective and insight and
peace. Ancient Chinese traditions remind us of this truth; ancient
Hebrew writings, such as the Psalms, do too.
But we, in our post-modern culture, largely ignore the practice of
stillness. With each passing year, the flow of information seems to
accelerate, the multi-tasking seems to intensify, and our calendars
seem to become more densely packed. We have become “human
doings.” Who has the time—let alone the attention span—for being a
human being? Who has the time to be still, even for a few breaths?
We would do ourselves a huge favor if we made time for stillness.
Take a walk in the park, without headphones or ear buds. Gaze at
some clouds, or some stars. Read the Bible (maybe even a Psalm or
two) for a few uninterrupted minutes. Soak in the beauty of music,
without doing anything else at the same time. Smell a flower.
Contemplate the incredible balance of nature. Pray, using few words.
O God, remind us to take at least a moment out of our busy
day to be still, and to remember that You are You. Amen.
O God, remind us to take at least a moment out of our busy
day to be still, and to remember that You are You. Amen.