July 16, 2012

A Quiet Life


...aspire to live quietly, and to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we instructed you, so that you may walk properly before outsiders and be dependent on no one.
~1 Thess. 4:11-12

 Quiet.  One of my favorite words. One of my favorite things.

...low tones of classical music wafting on the air as I'm curled up with a good book. 

...hushed jazzy voices crooning while I clean our home or prepare a meal.

...absolute stillness of a dark morning lit only by a small lamp and the Word of God.

...crickets chirping outside my window as I fall asleep.

I enjoy a good football game, laughter, and being with friends. Yet it is in the quiet moments of my life that I feel most alive.

My soul craves quiet.

Perhaps it's a reaction to years of going, doing, and spending. Maybe it's a result of endlessly trying to meet others' expectations. I believe it's wisdom gained.

I've spent much of the last few days thinking about what it means to live quietly. I'll be sharing my thoughts here over the coming days and weeks. In the meantime, what does living quietly mean to you?

4 comments:

jenmom said...

For me living quietly means living simply...being still enough to "hear" God's still small voice..."making room" for Him.
Raising three children and caring for a husband in full time ministry, I have to be intentional about living quietly if that makes any sense!

Becky said...

Always ready to listen. To the Spirit and to those around me. That is what living quietly means to me.

Love you!

Anonymous said...

Living quietly means seeking quiet. It doesn't just happen. I like to drink in the Word, deliberate over a verse or a passage as I sip tea. Or I slip out the door before everyone else is up to go for a good, long walk. Then I pour my heart out to God, let him situate my heart, let things settle.

Love,
-E

Diana Lovegrove said...

Aspiring to live quietly - I see this as being very much related to this verse: "A man can only receive what is given him from heaven" (John 3:27). So not to involve myself in the noise of distractions, to follow the latest issue, controversy, seeking the approval of men - but to seek Him, understand what He wants of me, seek to please Him alone. That is quiet living.