For the last couple of years, I’ve been consistently drawn to quiet.
Layer after layer, God has pulled off the busyness…and once it’s gone there is an emptiness…and in the emptiness, I’ve found true quiet. Quiet is not only about a lack of noise, because sometimes things feel quiet.
Quietness is having an open space, whether it’s through free time, space to focus, your mind being clear of the clutter of thoughts, being alone, or freedom to be a family. Quiet comes in a variety of ways.
God has brought quiet to my life right in the middle of a homeschooling, family focused environment. While having a home with 3 teenagers bustling around, and a 21-year-old learning how to build his own life, and my husband working out of town all week long, we’ve found a beautiful quiet. It’s something that looks a lot like contentment.
Early on, as a wife and mother, I felt so grounded and content in the home. It was comforting to have the rhythms of home life. I found security in creating a stable and steady home environment. But, as I allowed my friend group (at the time) to influence me, I began to be pulled out of our home and into foreign rhythms. Suddenly, I gave into lots of demands and expectations from others. It was a mistake. My insecurities and desire to fit in superseded the God given desire to cultivate home. Years passed and God allowed time to unwind me to the point of realizing what I had forfeited…and in His lovingkindness, He drew me back to His original plan for our family…to be based in the home. To make all my decisions after first considering the entire family, not just what I want and not to please others outside the home.
Culturally, there has been a draw to neglect family for years and years. It was a slow pull out of family life and into everything else. Years were spent allowing the family unit to fall apart. But I’m so relieved and excited that the current revolution is focused on the restoration of family.
When family is cultivated, quiet ensues. And where quiet exists creativity, wisdom, growth, and many other beautiful attributes burst forth like flowers that had been hiding under the snow fallen ground just waiting for spring.
God is in the quiet spaces.
This is what the Sovereign Lord, the Holy One of Israel, says: “In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it.” Isaiah 30:15
If you are having trouble hearing His voice or sensing His presence around you, then my first question would be, “How often are you quiet?” If you struggle to feel God’s peace, I would ask, “What kind of home environment are you cultivating?”
We are each responsible for the home environment we have. Especially if you are a mom. Moms establish the temperature and tempo of the home. No matter what your family dynamic is, you can transform it, if you are intentional.
I decided that since I grew up in a home where I felt unwelcome and nervous, I wanted to create a safe home. A place where friends are welcome and my kids feel tended to, listened to, and valued. A place where we all felt safe to bloom…try new things…become who God intended us to be. The most surprising part of this was how easy it was to do when I was simply intentional. A home that carries these values, is a quiet home. Remember, I am talking about something much deeper than actual noise…I’m talking about a quiet body, mind, and spirit.
But I have stilled and quieted my soul, like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child is my soul within me. Psalm 131:2
365 Days in the Presence 