If I was capable of picking a favorite Bible verse, Psalm 46:10 would be it. “Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” Recently, this verse has held deep meaning for me, and God has been making it a point to remind me of it almost every day while on this trip. Maybe it’s because I think about it every time I feel the emptiness on my finger left by the ring I always wear that bears the engraving of that verse. Probably though, it’s because God really needs me to hear His words to me—spoken through that verse.

The ring I always wear, as a reminder of all this verse means.

This trip has been filled with a lot—a lot of excitement, a lot of adventures, and a lot of exhaustion. I’m experiencing new things and going on cool adventures. I’m trying new things and rediscovering old things. I’m feeling emotions and thinking thoughts I’d long gotten over and stopped thinking, but for some reason have resurfaced on this trip. I’m experiencing so much, but I find I have no true quality introvert time to process it all, so my emotions have become slightly unpredictable. I haven’t gotten enough hours of sleep and my body craves more rest. I’m often confused, exhausted, and yet still ready for adventure, so this verse has become my reminder.

These words have been going through my mind almost constantly since getting on the plane to begin this adventure. They were in my mind when I got off the plane and went to my host family’s house, exhausted and just needing to rest. I thought about them as I sat and colored with kids who were so broken yet full of hope and life. They were in my mind when I almost slid off the narrow path into the water in the middle of the Atlantic Rainforest.  Because before my superheroes Kayla and Haven could grab my hands and pull me back to the path, these words reminded me I’d be fine. So, I got up, laughed it off, and continued on my adventure.

And, once we got to the end of our journey in the rainforest, there was a beautiful reservoir. And for the first time on this trip, I didn’t feel restless—I didn’t feel a desire to leave or be anywhere but there. In fact, I didn’t want to ever leave. These words were running through my mind, and for the first time on this trip, I knew exactly what God meant and why I kept thinking about these words.

Kayla (one of my superheroes) and I, sitting by the reservoir taking it all in

You see, all throughout this trip, God has been calling my restless heart to be still. To rest. To trust that I’ll be okay because He is God. And the God that made the beautiful rainforest, the children I was coloring with, and the feelings I’m feeling—that God is calling me to stillness. He’s calling me to know Him and to trust Him. So, no matter what situation I find myself in, I’ve been finding God’s call to stillness. And as the adventure begins to come to a close, I’ll find myself in more situations where I feel restless, but I’ll also be reminded that God’s stillness can be found in my restlessness—I just have to be willing to feel it.

-Rebekah Distaffen

The reservoir where I first felt the meaning of stillness

Categories: Brazil 2018

2 Comments

Marna Distaffen · May 19, 2018 at 1:27 pm

A beautiful reminder of the importance of taking time to just be still and let God speak to us. Keep listening to what he is telling you.

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