“Be still, and know that I am God.” Psalm 46:10
One of my favorite places in all the world is Folly Beach, South Carolina, feet in the Atlantic Ocean, sunshine warming my shoulders. Folly is gorgeous, close to home, filled with friends and family, memories both to remember and make. It is with no criticism that I mention the murky quality of the Atlantic at Folly. A lovely beach for birds, shells, sunrises and sunsets, but don’t expect to actually see what is lurking in the water around you. Every sand dollar I have found there has been by feel with my toes, or way up on dry sand, in plain view.
In celebration of my 41st wedding anniversary, I find myself lazing on the beach this week, not along coastal Carolina where the Atlantic shows itself brown and murky, but in the Caribbean Sea, a tropical portion of the Atlantic where the ocean sparkles blue in the sun and anything that moves is totally visible all the way to the seabed.
The clarity astonishes me, so accustomed to floating along in uncertain waters, sometimes rubbing up against an unknown sea being–jellyfish? crab? seaweed? Here nothing need be a surprise, all is visible and apparent, just cool, clear water. white sand and gentle, rolling waves.
We are in a place we have never visited before, to rest and relax. We have no appointments, no time pressure, no people to see or things to do. We can sit on beach chairs near the pool. We can sit on beach chairs on the beach. We can sit on the balcony and look out at the beach. We can walk along the beach, we can walk into town, we can walk to dinner, which someone else will prepare. And clean up. In other words, we can truly rest and relax. This adds to the clarity.
Like the waters of Folly Beach, I tend to live in such a way that my world remains roiled up, sediment drifting here and there muddying the waters, preventing me from seeing clearly what is around me. Instead of standing still long enough to allow the waters to clear, I flail and kick, hoping to find a sand dollar and miss any jellyfish in the area. Too busy to wait, to impatient to ascertain what I am reaching toward, assuming the experience of the past will propel me to the future safely if blindly. It is exhausting, not foolproof, and often not the wisest way forward.
Psalm 46:10 gives a solid command that I can’t seem to follow. “Be still, and know that I am God.” I believe God intends peace for us, that He offers us wisdom and clarity in the command to be still, yet I keep moving, a whirling dervish creating a dustbowl of uncertainty. How hard is it to be still? Why does the prospect of waiting until the waters clear seem daunting and impossible?
Here in the Caribbean things are clear, crystal clear. Life progresses slowly. Things like tides and turtles consume my thoughts. Lovely pinks, oranges and reds paint the sky at morning and night, puffy white clouds dance through the sky to the music of the rolling waves. and a little bird visits me on my balcony everyday.
“Be still” the bird reminds me. “Be still” the waves croon. “Be still” the lingering sunset begs. What else do you have to do?
So here in the Caribbean, I am sitting, very still. Pondering God. Clarity comes in realizing God offers stillness as a gift, as a reminder of who is in charge. God never needs clarity because He knows all things. I need clarity to recognize that God is God and I am not. I need not bother to be in charge of everything, to be in constant motion, to ensure all things get taken care of; mine is to be still and remember that God is God.
Here in the azure waters of the Caribbean it is so clear. Here in this place where I have no responsibilities the gift of being still is easy to accept. The challenge will be to live with that gift once I return to the muddy waters of the Atlantic next week. I challenge you, as I am challenging myself, to spend time each day being still, and knowing that He is God.
Before I left for this idyllic vacation, I baked a mint cheesecake for my daughter’s art reception. I have only photos from the baking, not the eating, but I am told it was good. This is another wonderful recipe that makes the upscale decadence of cheesecake feel easy.
Cheery Mint Cheesecake
- 4 8 oz. bars of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 3 Tbsp Gold Medal Flour
- 1/4 creme de menthe
- 5 eggs
Chocolate Cookie Crumb Crust
- 2 cups crushed chocolate sandwich cookies
- 1/4 cup melted butter
Crush chocolate sandwich cookies in a food processor until crumbs are very fine. Any generic brand of cookie will do for the crust. Add melted butter right into the food processor. Process until crumbs and butter are blended well. Pour mixture into a 10 inch springform pan. Using a spoon, press crumbs up the side of the pan, about in inch. Then press remaining crumbs firmly into the bottom of the pan. Bake at 350* for 6 minutes. Cool.
For cream cheese filling, place the cream cheese in a stand mixer and blend until smooth. Add sugar and mix until smooth. Add vanilla, creme de menthe and flour, mix until smooth. Add eggs, all at once. Beat well. When all five eggs have been added and mixture is entirely SMOOTH, cannot emphasis that enough, pour filling into cooled crust. Place in oven at 325* and bake for 70 minutes. I usually place my springform pan on a pie baking round, a metal pan with a hole in the middle. This allows the cheesecake to bake evenly while providing a measure of protection against any spillage.
You may add a few drops of green food coloring to ensure a beautiful, green color for your cheesecake.
Allow to cool, then run a knife around the inside of the springform pan. Gently release the spring and remove the side wall of the pan. Chill until serving.
Generally I serve this cheesecake with hot fudge sauce drizzled over the top and a squirt of whipped cream. At the art reception, my daughter placed some mint leaves on the top, leaving guests to serve themselves a slice.
