He Asked for Just 20 Minutes

“Be Still and know I am God.” Psalm 46:10

There is something about finishing one thing and standing at the edge of the next that feels both full and… strangely quiet.

Two days before my book signing. Final manuscript submitted. Years of work, prayer, stretching, growing… all wrapped up and handed in. And now I look around and think, what now?

Not in a fearful way. Just in that honest, human way.

Joe and I talk about this often. My busy seasons. My “I’ve got just one more thing” seasons. He is steady in a way I admire. He doesn’t ask for much. Just twenty minutes. “Give me twenty minutes of intentional time,” he says. Not distracted. Not halfway there. Just present.

And when I do, it shifts something. Every single time.

You would think, with all I write about pausing, resting, being still… that I would have mastered it by now. I even have a teacup that gently reminds me, be still and know.

And yet… here I am.

Still learning how to sit in open space without rushing to fill it.

Busyness has a way of disguising itself as purpose. It feels productive. It looks admirable. It gets applause. But if I am honest, sometimes it is just noise. Sometimes it is a way to avoid what the quiet might reveal.

And I know I am not alone in that.

I have sat with so many people… brilliant, kind, accomplished people… who keep reaching for the next thing. Another project. Another goal. Another reason not to sit still too long. For some, it started early. Achievement met with affirmation. A learned rhythm of do more, be more, achieve more. For others, the silence holds things they would rather not face.

So we stay moving because movement feels easier than stillness.  (This could be my t-shirt)

But God… He does not rush like that. He invites differently.

He calls us to rest, not because we are exhausted, but because we need to be prepared. There is a difference. Rest that restores is good. But rest that aligns… that grounds… that reconnects us to Him before we even step into what’s next… that is something deeper.

It is in this space that clarity lives.  It is where peace settles in. And it is where His voice is not competing with everything else.

My mom laughs and says she needs a nap after hearing about my days. And honestly… she might be right. Because even in the middle of all of this… the joy, the milestones, the celebrations… there is still that pull to keep going, to keep producing, to keep filling.

But today… I am choosing something different.  NOT because everything is done. It’s not.

The book signing is still in two days. My daughter is graduating. My nephew is graduating. I am graduating. Life is very much still moving.

But today, God and I have a date and I am showing up without an agenda.

No checklist. No multitasking. No “just one quick thing.”

Just space. Just stillness. Just my God and me.

If you are anything like me, that might feel uncomfortable at first. It might feel unproductive. It might even feel unnecessary.

But I am learning that the most important moments rarely announce themselves with urgency. They come quietly. They ask for our attention, not our efficiency.

So today, if you can… find twenty minutes (or 15 . . . or even 5).

Find time, not for work, not for planning, not for catching up . . . Just for you and God.

Sit. Breathe. Listen. You may not hear anything right away. That’s okay.

Sometimes the gift is simply being there. And somehow, that becomes everything.

Prayer

Lord, thank you for meeting me in the quiet. Help me to slow down long enough to be with you. To release the need to fill every moment, and trust that you are already there. You know me inside and out.  I bring my cares, my worries, and my full day to you.  I am here, Lord, seeking Your voice in the silence. Amen.

And if no one tells you today . . . or you hear it from a hundred different people, know this . . . I see you. I love you to life. And most importantly, God loves you unconditionally and always.

I hope you will join me here again.  Have a beautiful day.