I sat in a paddle boat with my friend as we let it float along. An adult coloring book on my lap. Then we help water plants along their farm and then pick pinecones. After awhile, we sit on her deck and paint our nails followed but a craft project; making prayer jars. The afternoon was finished by heading to a local lake where we sat and let the sun soak in. It was a day of pure relaxation.

Throughout this summer, I have been searching for these moments. These moments that remind us of the words that Jesus spoke “Be still and know that I am God!” Too often in life, we get caught up in the busyness of life; trying to care for ourselves and/or our families. And more often than we care to admit, we forget to take time to just be; to savor our time with those we love and soak in the solitude of God’s creation.

And then life comes at us HARD! We lose our job. A family member suddenly dies and leaves behind their family. An unexpected change and so much more. We find ourselves living in liminal space; that uncertain space between then, now, and what’s to come. It is in these moments that I find myself clinging to the promise of hope and peace that only Jesus can give. A peace that passes all human understanding.

This peace can be found in the most unexpected places. It can be found in the friends who show up and won’t take no for an answer. It can be found in sitting in a paddleboat floating in a slough. It can be found in the Kleenex bringers. It can be found in the silence and beauty of a new dawn rising or the sun setting. It can also be found in those who cheer you along as you hike up a mountain; trying to hike further than you have ever hiked.  It is in the coolest double rainbow you’ve ever seen in your 38 years of life. It can be found just anywhere if we take the time to look for it.

This summer, I have found myself lifting my prayers to God like incense rising. But more than that, I have found more moments of hope, stillness and peace than I could have ever imagined. Moments that sustain me on the hard days and that are also stored away for the hard days yet to come. It is these moments that remind me continually of who and whose I am and that I’ll never be left alone.

And the truth is, my friends, you will never be left alone either. Find time to just be; to know that Jesus is truly human and truly divine. “Be still and know that I am God!” In the silence and stillness, in those moments of peace, know that God is there. God will never leave you or forsake you. And God is especially there when it feels your world is falling apart all around you. Look around and see the signs of God’s goodness; sunflowers, a summer day, the sun setting and rising, a double rainbow and so much more.

Linking up with Anita and Inspire Me Monday, Kelly and the RaRa linkup, Jennifer and Tell His Story, Holley and Coffee for Your Heart, and Kristin and Porch Stories.