Grace was the paintbrush. It carried me through.~Bill Fricke

This morning I'm trying to "tease out" the meaning of stillness. What does that word, that concept actually mean? The definition seems to imply rest, a quiet state, calmness, my hands free, my heartbeat steady, my mind tranquil. The peace of Jesus. And then what does it mean to reflect and embrace the peace of Jesus?

I believe receiving is involved. But then I often confuse the art of receiving with self-effort. Performance. Surely there's a formula I can follow, a five-step action plan. Directives. Machinations.

What if entering the door of the Lord's peace is walking in and receiving His hospitable ministrations? Simply to receive from Him with no worry of pay back or over-staying my welcome. To sit at His kitchen table and drink a strong cup of coffee with half and half. To hear Him say, "I freely give you my peace. It's not like the culture's peace that depends on happy circumstances. My peace transcends sorrow, self-doubt, shame, loneliness and lost dreams. There is no DIY plan with me. It's not about the performance. It's about the receiving." (See John 14: 26-27)

I can push open the door, walk in and sit down. Be still with Him. Hear His laughter, see that smile, a perfect mosaic of white. Sit inside His pleasure to provide me the gift of peace, His delight in giving me a location to rest, no strings attached. His promise to do the fighting. It seems too good to be true. But that's how it is with Him.

A reader wrote to me this week and shared a poem he'd written. One of the lines in his poem was "grace was the paintbrush, it carried me through." He wrote of Jesus painting his portrait.

I like to imagine that when I walk through the door to receive the hospitality of the Lord, there is an easel there in His kitchen. It's an oil painting of me, His ongoing portrait of my life. In this oil painting, I am still, my expression calm, my hands free, palms up and resting on my lap. At peace. The Lord turns to me, paintbrush in hand, and says, "Won't you stay a bit longer? Have another cup of coffee--I've got your favorite--'Cinnamon Roll With It.' Watch me while I add a few more brushstrokes. I'm painting your favorite sky in the background, a sunrise, filled with the colors you like--streams of coral and gold. Lavender, and that rosy tint that cradles a thin, white moon." 

And so I choose to stay, watching Him paint, listening to the brushstrokes of grace upon the canvas.

The Lord will fight for you; you need only to be still.~Exodus 14:14 (NIV Version)