The Toughest Lesson God Wants Us to Learn
I’m excited to introduce an author friend, Chip Mattis. I know you will enjoy his words about dads and an important lesson we learn from our heavenly Father. Chip recently released a children’s book reflecting the love of a father for his little girl, Under the Dancing Tree. I purchased it for my grandchildren and will discuss it more at the end of this post.
There is one undeniable, incontrovertible truth when it comes to children: they don’t sit still.
My wife is the standard for self-control. Even when she was little, she couldn’t sit still. Crawling into bed with her parents one night after a nightmare, she tossed and turned.
“Be still,” her dad said.
So she went rigid and eventually fell asleep lying flat as a board.
My son can’t sit at the table very long. He likes to sit up, kneeling one leg on the chair and standing on the floor with the other. Or walk around the kitchen some. Or lean on the table and hover both feet off the ground. It’s both bothersome and funny.
“Sit down and chill out, man.”
My daughter squirms in her seat, delaying eating her food. She flips her head around to look at me upside-down. Then she’ll stretch way out under the table to play footsie with my wife.
“Baby, sit still.”
My kids’ restlessness at the dinner table is ridiculous.
Learn to Be Still: When I’m Restless
But the truth is, I’m no different. I’m just as restless. It might not be a dinner table restlessness where the wiggles need to get free. It’s a spiritual restlessness, a feeling that if I sit still I’ll fail, I’ll miss something. The feeling of anxiety that I’m supposed to be doing a particular thing at a particular time. The sense of not wanting to displease the people I love or, worst of all, displease God.
But in each of those moments of restless anxiety, there is God my Father, assuring me I have nothing to fear. Through each stage of my life, God is tending to me like a garden, pruning where I’ve grown wild, watering me when I’m dry, shining on me when I’m cloudy.
Through each stage of my life, God is tending to me like a garden, pruning where I’ve grown wild, watering me when I’m dry, shining on me when I’m cloudy. @chipmattis #father Click To TweetAnd still I strain and struggle, trying to grow taller by my own effort, like a kid willing himself to stretch just a little taller to ride the Ferris Wheel at the fair.
God just smiles at my efforts, wondering when I’ll sit still long enough to let Him care for me.
Learn to Be Still: God’s My Refuge
Psalm 46 is a great reminder of a tough lesson.
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change, though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea; though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. (Verses 1-3, NRSV)
“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge. (Verses 10-11, NRSV)
Learn to Be Still: God Is With Me
I like this psalm because it reminds me of a couple things I easily forget:
1—God doesn’t always take away my trouble, but He is with me in them.
Coming from a faith tradition that emphasizes God’s power to deliver us from troubles, it’s hard to remember that there is no promise in Scripture that we’ll always be free from troubles and concerns. In fact, Jesus promises we will have trials and troubles. What the Bible is consistently clear about is that God is with us in them when they do come.
Jesus promises we will have trials and troubles. What the Bible is consistently clear about is that God is with us in them when they do come. @chipmattis #promise Click To TweetAs a father, I can’t solve every problem my kids face. Even if I have the power to, I won’t. My job is to prepare them to face their own problems. I don’t abandon them to their trials, but I watch over them and remind them of what I’ve done to prepare them.
Learn to Be Still: Trust Who God Is
2—I don’t have to understand what God is doing to trust who He is.
It’s easy to focus on what God isn’t doing when we’re in the midst of a trial. As a father, I see this in my kids. They fall and scrape their knees, and I’m there to make sure they’re ok.
No blood? Get up and get back out there and play.
Nothing broken? Let’s wipe the tears and get on with our day.
I want my kids to trust my care for them and that I know their wounds are temporary and won’t hinder them. I want my kids to trust my judgment and find the strength not to let setbacks be breakdowns.
Maybe I’m trying to make myself the hero of the story, but I think God is honored by the dads who simply stick around and do the normal, everyday things with consistency.
The truly heroic dads are the ones who are present through their kids’ ups and downs, who look back at the beauty of each stage of their children’s lives with an ache.
It’s an ache over the past, wishing we’d done things better.
Learn to Be Still: Rest in a Father’s Love
It’s an ache for the future, hoping we’ve done enough to help them be the wonderful people God created them to be.
That ache drives us to wisdom, to sticking around. And it’s in the sticking around that our kids find the peace to be still and rest in our love for them.
Is it hard for you to be still and rest in your heavenly Father’s love?
God is honored by the dads who simply stick around and do the normal, everyday things with consistency. @chipmattis #fathers Click To TweetAbout Chip:
Chip Mattis is a graduate from Greenville University and holds a BA in Philosophy and Religion. He and his wife, fellow-author Jessie Mattis, live and work in Bloomington, IN, and are busy raising three children under the age of twelve. His books are silly and sentimental, for which Chip maintains his innocence and fully blames his kids and copious cartoon consumption. Chip loves Jesus, is an unapologetic Marvel nerd, and would love the world to be full of stories that help kids imagine not just what the can do but who they can be. Check out his blog at ChipMattis and follow him on Twitter @chipmattis.
Under the Dancing Tree is the journey of a daddy’s little girl experiencing the wonders of growing into a woman. It’s the “timeless love between a father and his precious daughter.” To purchase this wonderful book.
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Oh yes… to be still in a culture that literally worships being busy all. the. time? Yeah. That is exactly what we need to practice. Stillness is where we cultivate the mind, hear the small still voice of the Spirit, and sense God’s peace. Without it, we’re running around, exhausted and anxious too much of the time. Thanks for posting some of Chip’s writings and book excerpts here! Much needed advice in an era of stress.
Hey Lisa, I like all your stillness thoughts. Being still is a hard lesson to learn. I wonder if God, the Father, looks at us sometimes as having spiritual wiggles…all over the place instead of resting and still before Him. Thanks for joining the conversation about Chips awesome words.
Chip, this is a beautiful post! What an example you are of our Father to your children. As a Children’s Minister, my heart soars for families and for moms and dads to get this message. You are correct, nowhere in scripture does it say that we will escape troubles on earth, oh but the beautiful thing is our Lord is with us every step of every difficulty, strengthening and encouraging us. Thank you so much for this message! Sharing it with my families at church.
It is such a great post about fathers and parenting, and about our heavenly Father. I also reflected on that powerful truth: “Jesus promises we will have trials and troubles. What the Bible is consistently clear about is that God is with us in them when they do come.” So comforting! Thanks for commenting, Marcie!
being still is my toughest job. I have struggled with it most of my life, but God has been teaching me (the hard) these past few years with chronic illness. He is so good and caring!
Come join us for the Father’s Day link up on our blog. Blogs about our Heavenly Father are welcome!
Hi Mandy, I’m so sorry you deal with a chronic illness. I’m sure you are often forced to be still whether you choose it our not. Sure that is tough. Yet, you have such a great testimony of the Lord being good and caring. Amen!
Learning to be still is an important spiritual discipline to learn as young as possible! Thanks for these reminders.
I agree, Lisa. The younger the better. I think being still in the Father’s love is sometimes the hard part for me. I know He loves me, but resting in that love instead of doing and striving is not always easy. Thanks for commenting!
Karen, thanks for sharing Chip’s heartwarming post and books. Perfect for Father’s Day!
You’re welcome, Beckie! Glad it encouraged you. Hope the fathers in your life (your son I know is a new dad), have a great Father’s Day!
I can certainly relate to feeling like if I’m still, I’ll miss something. My husband and I just bought a house and are trying to renovate the kitchen ourselves before we move in next month. Which means not a lot of time for being still. But today I realized the great need for a night off from working on it. We won’t fall so greatly behind that we won’t be able to move in next month! So thank you for reminding me once again to be still and trust God’s timing in all things!
Emily, I have enjoyed reading about your new house and how that all came about. I’m sure you had to be still some along the way with the wait on even getting the house. So thankful the Lord is trustworthy as our Father.
I have a stick on stencil of Psalm 46:10 “Be Still and Know that I am God” over my desk in my home office. Too often I forget to be still.
Thanks for sharing this encouragement about our Heavenly Father.
That’s great, Karen. I’m sure it serves as the reminder we all need and often forget. Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Amen Mr. Chip. The best thing a Dad can be is “There.” Great post sir; thank you and thank you also to Ms. Karen.
The best thing a Dad can be is “There.” I love that line, J.D. So true. It goes with what Chip says in the article, “God is honored by the dads who simply stick around and do the normal, everyday things with consistency.” Thank you for reading and commenting. Blessings!
I love this: “Maybe I’m trying to make myself the hero of the story, but I think God is honored by the dads who simply stick around and do the normal, everyday things with consistency. The truly heroic dads are the ones who are present through their kids’ ups and downs, who look back at the beauty of each stage of their children’s lives with an ache. It’s an ache over the past, wishing we’d done things better.” The world is full of these quietly heroic dads. It’s a blessing to draw attention to them, their faithfulness, and their heroic nature of sticking through it, being consistent, doing what’s right, and equipping their kids to get back up and get out there again. Thanks for featuring Chip and fathers this week, Karen.
Oh, yes, Melinda! We celebrate these heroic dads and their faithfulness in being present for their children, both physically and emotionally. It models our heavenly Father who promises to never leave us!
Oh, yes…great post! How often have I prayed for stillness? Being still is not something that comes easily for me, but sometimes we need to be still to hear God’s whisper. I am too often a woman on a mission! 🙂
Laurie, I relate to that and my hand is raised in admission of always being on a mission! I pray the Lord helps us learn stillness before Him BEFORE we do ministry ABOUT Him.
This is so good, Karen! I think Chip is a terrific person, and I enjoyed learning more about him, the book and faith. And I love the thought of God as our master gardener!
Thanks, Jessica. I’m sure Chip appreciate your kindess and encouragement. Me too about the Lord as master gardener.
Lord, prune us where we’ve grown wild, water us when we are dry, and shine on us when we are cloudy. Amen!
I love this, ” I don’t have to know what God is doing to trust who He is.” That is exactly what I needed to b ed reminded of this morning! Thanks for sharing great truths!
Awesome, Cheryl! I love when the Lord gives us a divine message at just the right time. It’s such a great truth, to trust who God is even when we don’t know what He’s doing. Because He is a faithful Father!
Wonderful post! Thank you for sharing both truthful promises and truthful encouragement! I love Psalm 46, as well. We remember how small we are as we read those heart-shaking images. And the lesson? Rest in Him. He is God. We are not. Though learning to humble myself is a slow lesson I am learning day by day, it is more and more beautiful as time goes by. I cannot thank you enough for clarifying God’s promise to be with us, not necessarily to always deliver us. His greatest gift is to carve away the selfishness to make us more like Christ. That is not going to be accomplished with blue skies and gentle paths. As we cling to our self-adoring ideas and preference for self-strength, He lovingly, mercifully pulls away our sticky fingers from this world’s treasures one by one by one. Your advice to keep on keeping on, in the little daily things is the perfect encouragement. For life is made of many little moments adding up to one grand life story, but still written one paragraph at a time. In the end, we really appreciate the one we can count on being there. God bless you, Chip! Happy Father’s Day to you!
“His greatest gift is to carve away the selfishness to make us more like Christ. That is not going to be accomplished with blue skies and gentle paths.” Amen to that, Melissa. So true! You always have so much great insight to add. Thank you!
“I don’t have to understand what God is doing to trust who He is”
Love that! So true!
Me and you both! When we place our full trust and confidence in not only a loving heavenly Father, but also the Almighty God who created us, trying to understand becomes less important.
Sometimes, being still feels like the hardest thing to do in the world. It is difficult, sometimes, to be alone with our thoughts. But, when I do, I am blest by my quiet time. I love how God refreshes me during those times. Thanks for sharing your wonderful post.
Yvonne, being still does bring those quiet moments with the Lord when He has the opportunity to refresh us because we are not moving and wresting with so many other things. Appreciate you commenting on Chip’s post.
Really good thoughts on how to be still. In those times we hear God. And quiet our thoughts.
Thanks for commenting on Chip’s article, Ava. As God’s children, He recognizes our restlessness and is patiently waiting for us to let Him still us.
Hardest. Lesson. Ever. –Having to wait. Best growth ever too. Always hard to do. Always worth the wait. God bless!
Funny how a hard lesson in being still or waiting is the best growth all at the same time, Nancy. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
In a world that’s perpetually in a hurry, this is a very timely word as it seems like a lot have forgotten what really counts in the grand scheme of things. It’s always wisdom to be still and let God be God for us. Thanks so much for sharing this post, Karen. And congratulations to Chip on the release of his book. Blessings!
We are in a hurry, always moving, going, doing and striving. Like how you said, “It’s always wisdom to be still and let God be God for us.” Amen!
Such beautiful truth from a Father’s heart. I’m not good at being still, at trusting His best when I think I know better, when I want my way. It amazes me how much we are like children. But God is such a gracious Father.
Rebecca, we are so much like children and I surmise the reason He calls us “child.” I struggle in the areas you mention often. And, thank goodness, for a patient, gracious, and loving Father.
Throughout my sickness, I have cried out to God. I know there are lessons that God is teaching me through my trials. Thank you for this post, it really helped me.
Sorry for your health issues, Jennifer. I pray the Lord whispers words of affirmation over you that He is with you.
Psalm 46 is one of my favorite psalms. I love the way he tied in the idea of stillness with parenting.
Yes, I enjoyed that analogy as well. Thankful God is with us and our refuge.
Thank you, Chip for sharing your words about being still and knowing the father’s love for us. Trusting and knowing that God is who He says He is reminds me that we are children of a constant and faithful Father.
Appreciate you commenting, Mary. I’m also grateful to be a child of the heavenly Father who is faithful and constant. May we be still and know He is God!
This sounds like a delightful book! Thank you for bringing it to our attention :). I’m spending my summer with a wiggly little toddler boy–so different from our daughters.
It is a wonderful book, Anita. And I relate to the wiggly little toddler boy. My grandson, Foster, is 3 and he has the same condition and spends a lot of time here.