be still my soul

At our student leadership retreat this weekend, we sang the classic hymn, Be Still My Soul, the lyrics found below. 


Be still my soul, the Lord is on thy side 
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain
Leave to thy God to order and provide
In every change He faithful will remain
Be still my soul, thy best, thy heavenly friend
Through thorny ways leads to a joyful end


Be still my soul when dearest friends depart
And all is darkened in the vale of tears
Then shalt thou better know His love His heart
Who comes to soothe thy sorrow and thy fears
Be still my soul, the waves and winds shall know
His voice who ruled them while He dwelt below


Be still my soul, the hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord
When disappointment grief and fear are gone
Sorrow forgot love's purest joys restored
Be still my soul when change and tears are past
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last

After singing these beautiful words, one of our staff members reflected on perhaps the need for another stanza that would capture the need for our current generation to be still amidst the frenzy of social media and identity distraction. I spent a while thinking over the roots of our inability to be still with our own souls, discussed some of the deep aspects of it all with teammates, and wrote another stanza:



Be still my soul, your worth is found within
All those around you cannot search its depths
But your great God sees past success and sin
In lonely places leads you into rest
Be still my soul, there is enough in Him
To satisfy and bring the restless in 

Don't miss the beauty of your own soul. Learn to feel the depths of  yourself, and find that Christ is in you, just as he said he would be. Rest in the truth that he is enough.