Be Still?

Be still and know that I am God . . .

That line from Psalm 46:10 is one of my favorite phrases in the Bible and has long inspired me and other creatives. Many years ago, Steven Curtis Chapman turned it into a song, one of his best, and, in another lifetime, I even sang it in church. One of my new favorite groups, Citizen Way, has once again used this verse as inspiration for a terrific tune on their latest album.

It’s one of my favorite scriptures, but it’s a hard one for me to obey. I have never been one to sit still. Instead of a human being, I’ve been more of a human doing. I’m always on the go, flitting from one task to another. Even in my job as a community college professor, I teach at three different campus sites, so I’m never stationary at one place for too long.

Proof that God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise, He has called me, Mr. Fidgety-Can’t-Sit-Still-for-Too-Long to be a writer.

Huh? Doesn’t writing require extensive B-I-C (Butt-In-Chair) time?

Yes, it does, and I have managed to calm myself long enough to achieve several publications, all with God’s help and direction. But nothing could have prepared me for this winter.

Right around Christmas 2019, I developed a foot problem. And then a knee problem on the same side. After numerous doctor’s visits and tests, I was diagnosed with some issues that could be taken care of  . . . with extensive bedrest.

Say what? Bedrest? Me, lying still for hours and hours? What’s up, God?

I don’t have all the answers, but I have found God is using this time to teach me to be still, to hear from Him. And, let me tell you, it’s hard.

In the midst of the trial, I realized, in the hustle and bustle of life, I had forgotten how to be still. With no other choice, I am re-learning how to be quiet before Him. If you know me and how loud I am, you are laughing right now.

I don’t know what fruit will become of this down time, but I am confident God has a plan and He knows what He’s doing. Who knows? Maybe I’ll even write something.

Carlton Hughes wears many hats. By day, he’s a professor of communication at Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College. On Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings, he does object lessons and songs with motions as Children’s Pastor of Lynch Church of God. In his “spare time,” he is a freelance writer whose work has appeared in numerous publications, including Chicken Soup for the Soul and several devotional books from Worthy Publishing—Let the Earth Rejoice, Just Breathe, So God Made a Dog, and Everyday Grace for Men. Carlton and his wife Kathy have two sons, Noah and Ethan, both of whom recently flew out of the nest, and a daughter-in-law, Kersyn. He is on the planning committee for Kentucky Christian Writers Conference and is a year-round volunteer for Operation Christmas Child. He is represented by Cyle Young of Hartline Literary Agency. His book Adventures in Fatherhood, a 60-day devotional co-authored with Holland Webb, will release in April 2020 from Worthy/Ellie Claire.