Since moving to Dallas stillness has not been a consistent theme in my life. I grew up on a farm in Northeast Georgia where quiet and peace were a normal part of daily living. This morning Claude Rich and I got to travel out to East Texas for a little hunting adventure. Granted we saw nothing and shot nothing and while we were unsuccessful in that effort I still had an awesome and rare chance to just be still. nOne of my greatest challenges is to stop being busy and really focus on just one thing . This morning I got the opportunity to just focus on stillness and quiet. That’s why I love hunting. Besides the big trophy buck that I’ve still yet to shoot or even see, one of my favorite parts of being in the woods is how quiet it is.
Psalm 46:10 reminds me that one of God’s greatest gifts in our life is the opportunity to be still and simply know Him. Settle my thoughts, stop trying to accomplish 9 million tasks at once, drown out the chaos in my brain, and just be still.
This concept relates really well to the competition platform. Regardless of how warm-ups went, regardless of what place I am in, regardless of whether this lift means gold or bomb; when I step on the platform this verse reminds me to settle my thoughts, focus on just one thing (the lift), relax, and nail the lift. If you ever get the opportunity to watch Chad Vaugh lift in competition, you’ll see this is exactly what he does before he lifts. He steps on the platform, settles his thoughts, spends some time on the bar, and make sure everything is still in his mind before completing the lift. It’s a beautiful thing to watch.
Far too often we approach our workouts and life desiring and surrounding ourselves with chaos and complexity. This morning I was reminded that sometimes stillness is the answer. Whether it’s a hard lift in training, a clean and jerk to win a competition, or navigating through the daily grind, stillness is often the perfect antidote to chaos.
Ask Georgia she knows #lazydog
