By Davalynn Spencer @davalynnspencer
Our busy lives don’t give us much quiet time to reflect, listen, or simply breathe.
Things always press in, demanding our attention, whether they are as fleeting as the news and social media, or as important as a spouse or child.
But being still—quiet and undistracted—is critical to our spiritual survival in this world so full of noise. Therefore, we have to make time
Not an easy assignment, but doable.
Here are three ways to be still, though I know there must be more:
- Take a quiet moment in the early morning.
Even Jesus sometimes got up before everyone else and went off by himself to pray. He was always surrounded by people, yet He made the effort to be alone with His Father.
- Go for a walk outside.
One of my favorite verses says Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. I don’t have a sea near my house, but I have a place I walk where I can be quiet and listen.
- Steal away while the kids are napping.
Seventeenth-century mother of 19 (not all survived infancy) Susanna Wesley found it difficult to get a moment to herself, so she made an “apron escape.” When she sat down and pulled her large apron up over her head, her children knew Mother was praying and to leave her alone. An unusual tactic, but it worked.
These three suggestions go hand-in-hand with three mandatory requirements:
- Turn off the television/radio.
- Silence the phone.
- Shut down the Internet.
When the Old Testament prophet, Elijah, sought God, he found the Creator not in wind, quake, or fire.
God was in the whisper.
As we prepare for the busiest time of year in the next couple of months, may we
- Let the silence in.
- Wait for God.
- Listen for His voice.
Maybe He won’t say anything earth-trembling.
Maybe He won’t say anything more than, “I am here.”
But isn’t that what we need the most? To know that He is God – God with us.
If you have found a way to be still in your day-to-day life, please share it with others in the comments below.
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#lovingthecowboy
Ohhhhhhhhhh, I am bookmarking this!!!!
Thank you, Jennifer! May the stillness settle around you.
I remember when we lived on our family farm, in Michigan, Grandma and Great Grandma always had aprons on. So did my mother and my aunt! We all lived together in a 16 room, two-story farmhouse. Aprons had many uses. They dried hands and tears. They protected hands from hot iron pans. A dampened corner of the apron could soothe a child’s sunburned cheeks and nose. On a cold morning, you roll the apron around your hands, as you hurried to the hen house. On the return trip, chicken eggs could nestle in the pouch produced by lifting the corners of the apron. Aprons protected more expensive items of clothing. Aprons came in all sizes–fitting everyone. But come evening, hands would be folded in laps–on top of wrinkled aprons. Peace settled as the meal was finished and Grandpa took up the huge, black Bible and opened it. A little girl’s head could find a spot on the aproned lap. A warm hand, smelling faintly of peeled onions would cup her cheek. Her fingers could trace the discolored rick-rack outlining the aprons pockets. The day would come to an end and peace settled as the Bible was read.
What a beautiful scene you’ve painted with your words, Karen. Peace, and stillness, indeed.