Editorial December 21, 1987 Issue

Do you have the time to be really still?

Michael D. Rissler

Have you ever wondered at how many things we're encouraged to lease, purchase, maintain, or borrow? I have a friend who raised the question because of a study he was involved in. So one day I tried to keep a running count of the advertisements, solicitations, and other marketing messages that I came across from six o'clock in the morning until ten o'clock at night. Frankly, it was an impossible assignment; there were so many messages—both written and oral—that I know I missed many of them. But my tally came to more than three hundred.

Now, for those who have a statistical bent, that comes out to nearly twenty solicitations an hour! Drive time to work included radio messages and billboards. Catching up on what's happening in the community and the world brought many messages through television news and in newspapers and magazines. A number of suggestions came by word-of-mouth recommendations. Conversation while I was waiting in a couple of lines brought comments about the latest models of cars, computers, winter clothing, and more. There was even a computerized sales call that arrived via telephone at dinner time, along with several pieces of mail advising me on insurance, the treatment of various illnesses, and the sale of my residence.

Just before I went to sleep that night, I turned to the Bible to give me some perspective on what had been a very demanding day—not only keeping up with my usual work but documenting the solicitations. I was amazed at the verse I turned to at random: "Commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still."^{Ps. 4:4.} As I thought about that counsel, I turned the pages of my Bible, and here's another verse I came to: "Be still, and know that I am God."^{Ps. 46:10.}