Tracey's Story
Standing on Solid Rock seeks to encourage people to listen to that still, small voice that resides in each one of us. My hope is to support the creation of one habit: being still.
This is where it all began for me. My stillness came from a medical mandate.
A forced break in the action…
An interruption in life…
The pause button stuck in the same position…
I had been running full speed ahead on all cylinders. Volunteering for this committee, leading that initiative, working into all hours of the night and not getting nearly enough sleep which brought my go-go lifestyle to a screeching halt.
Substitute the details and many of you can relate to this push-pull lifestyle. There are never enough hours in the day to accomplish all that is on that growing to-do list.
The migraines became so intense. I could no longer function as a sixth grade teacher.
Teaching in the dark, which had become the norm, was no longer working as the answer. The stimulation was much too great. The noise, the brightness, the smells of life locked my head in a vice that grew tighter and tighter as the days went on.
The lights went out for good, as I was forced to take an extended medical leave which eventually led to me leaving the only professional identity I had ever known.
The doctor’s hope was that in this stillness, my migraines might settle down and come under control of the medicine.
Understand for me, this rock bottom answer of “taking a leave of absence” was not anything I would willingly do under normal circumstances.
Living this way for over a year brought its own toll. Depression was beginning to settle in and take up residence again.
Being still is something I continue to struggle with. It does not come naturally for me. Keeping my eyes fixed on Jesus has not been easy, and I have fallen short repeatedly. I imagine that I am not alone in my struggle, as our society continues to sell this busyness mentality as the answer to success.
But God, has spoken a powerful and much needed message to me. And, although I am nervous and fearful in proclaiming His answer I know it is what I am called to do.
