Going Equably in Life, at Peace in Haste, Still in Sorrow

THOSE who live the way of abundance experience the way of abundance.

That way of abundance is surely the nexus of life as much as it could be lived — the Christian’s life eternal, now.

Going equably in life, being at peace when all of life is haste, and being able to be still in sorrow, is life eternal in the now.

Equability is the temperament of the Christian who’s borne their trials, struggles and despairing; who’s somehow learned to rest in God, even when matters are excruciating and they’re feeling tenuous.

Practicing being equable is living it, is learning, is doing it.

When we practice courage, we do courage, and we’re courageous. Being equable is the same. A balance comes over us, the blessed Presence of the Holy Spirit, when we commit to doing the practice: be still, or, as a friend mentioned recently, stop and remember… who is in control.

Nobody can shake us without our permission, and if God is for us, who can be against us?

God knows what we’re capable of, and we’re capable of degrees of endurance. We may choose any degree we like, and it’s ours. What use is the fretting demeanour if fretting only gets us angry or more afraid? Fretting only stands in the way of our obedience for God and others, and it prolongs our inner feelings of wearying insanity. But when we choose a level of endurance — to endure, and to keep on keeping on in our enduring — then we quickly get over the temptation to fret. We right our emotional ship, rather than allow ourselves to list uncontrollably over the oceans of disappointment and discouragement.

As we stop… and genuinely stop long enough to remember the Rock that God is, we too have that same opportunity; to be the equable rock in the midst of anything and everything. Which is really just staying real in the reality of life.

Placidity is a great gift; to remain still and silent and with solace in any crisis.

It’s all just a question of practice. Actually doing it. Not, practise makes perfect. But practice makes possible. Whatever’s possible is achievable. This is surely about staying the moment.

The innermost experience of abundance is about inner equability. A stability of state that rests in simply being.

When nothing can take away our joy, where only peace may be added, we’ve found the safety of God from within.

© 2015 Steve Wickham.