Quietness and Trust ...
Do these words go hand-in-hand? Do we need quietness in order to live a life of trust?
I don't mean the kind of quietness that is associated with being quiet, as is a trait to some degree of those who have an introvert personality. In contrast to being an extrovert. For even an introvert, as myself, can live in a state of unrest, quite the opposite of what is implied by quietness.
Quietness - a reference to the state of our hearts and our minds.
In this age of busy, and hurry, of instant information and communication at our fingertips all through the day, where can we find the peace and the rest that we long for, and that we are made for?
In quietness and in trust
shall be your strength.
(Isaiah 30:15)
Maybe for each of us the journey to this place of rest and trust will be different. But for all of us, it surely calls for finding a way to periodically and regularly pull ourselves away from the noise and busyness of our lives. Pulling ourselves away long enough so that we can hear and connect to the heart of God.
It may be in the quiet of our home, or an hour or two at a coffee shop, or time spent outdoors in the beauty of creation, or even while driving in the car. Whatever it is that feeds our souls, wherever we are - it's a pulling away, and a quieting of our hearts and our minds. To listen, and to communicate.
Just as Jesus did, when he often went off by Himself to pray. In need of perspective, in need of time with His Father. He needed to spend time away from the crowds and the never-ending demands on His time.
Be still before the Lord,
and wait patiently for Him.
(Psalm 37:7)
This may look different in the changing seasons of our lives. When our six children were young, time for quiet was scarce, and I learned to retreat during nap time. Always a thousand things that needed to be done, and it was a conscious effort to leave my to-do list. But it was so worth it to retreat. For that time, though short, helped fill my heart and soul with the peace, trust, and strength that I needed.
And now in our empty nest season of life, when life certainly is not empty but somehow feels very full ... finding times to pause do not take quite as much of an effort. But it still calls for a continual effort, a choosing to set aside our work and our responsibilities to pay attention to the most important.
Two summers ago my hubby and I made the choice to pull away from our work each week for an extra, undivided time of quiet. A few hours one afternoon of each week. It all began that first day of May in 2012, the first day of our wonderful three-month Sabbatical/vacation - and we wanted to make that first day of our three months count. We wanted God's perspective and direction for how we would spend the days and weeks ahead.
That first afternoon of pulling away to a quiet place has turned into over two years now, of leaving our work and responsibilities one afternoon each week and finding a place of rest and quiet. Pushing the pause button on life - to be still, and to listen to His Words, to journal, to gain His perspective.
The photos in this post are from one of those afternoons last month. It was a gorgeous fall day - the sounds of the fountain and the geese wandering through the park, and the warmth of the sun - all filled up our senses. And the words that we each read while sitting in our lounge chairs by water's edge gave us peace and rest. We were filled up and strengthened. The stresses and unrest that sometimes creep into our lives were replaced by a spirit of quietness and trust.
Life is full of unknowns, of the things that can bring worry and pain, of responsibilities and opportunities that can overwhelm us - and we are always in need. Of peace, of strength, of Him. Even as we left the park that afternoon last month and headed back to our vehicle, we received an emergency phone call, and we were needed to help in a desperate situation. How thankful we were that we were at peace, and we were strengthened.
In quietness and in trust
shall be your strength.
Heart Focus
Linking up with:
Tell His Story
Coffee for Your Heart
Spiritual Whitespace
Cherry, this is beautiful. Good for you and your husband. It's so important to take that time for each other. We stop every evening for an hour or two and just talk. It's not always easy to keep distractions to a minimum, but we've learned it is worth the effort. Your photos are gorgeous.
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad to be your neighbor at Jennifer Lee's this week. As a pastor's wife, the past two weeks have been especially busy with interruptions to our normal day of rest. I so related to and needed this post!
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