Mute: A little quiet time

It was a quiet week here, I know.  I want to apologize for that, but sometimes, silence is a good thing.  Life is busy, and real life sometimes calls us to walk in what we’re living and learning.  Actually, as a writer with a busy schedule and an almost-overactive mind, silence is something that doesn’t come often to me.

I dream and awake to remembering my mind was active.

I run and spend the time thinking and praying and planning.

I work and find myself interacting with others and keeping my mind busy with my tasks and my to-do list for non-work hours.

My evenings are filled with time with Adam or in fire training, prayer meeting, youth group, an audio book or a tv show playing in the background as I accomplish my housework, baking, laundry, etc.

Silence. 

I enjoyed it this weekend, and am reminded of Psalm 46:10 and realize that God is directly addressing me (and the American, rushed, busy, back-to-back task lifestyle?) in even the simplicity of this one verse: “Be still and know that I am God.”

So, my silence is not for lack of things to say, for lack of thoughts, events, and passions to share.  No, my silence is a quieting of my ever-active heart, a decision to stop and spend a little time focusing, and to return to the responsibility and joy I have here with strength, vigor, and direction.

These past few weeks, Adam has not been feeling so well.  Last Monday morning, he woke up with a stomach bug that had him in bed for two days.  That never happens.  I tried as much as I could to help, but nothing (not even ice cream!) could make my man feel better.  I felt helpless and sobered and suddenly felt just the smallest iota of what Kevin must have felt for his dying sweetheart Heather.  Unable to make Adam feel better, tired from nights of only half-sleeping so I could hear if he needed anything, hating every moment that he was not feeling well and wasn’t himself.

Tuesday and Thursday, some friends and I started our Scene Support class for our fire department.  So far so good, but it’s weird rushing home to make dinner and rushing out again for a few hours for an evening class and finally getting home to crash with Adam around 10.  Lol I laughed the first evening, because it felt like such role-reversal for me to be away at night for a fire-related activity while Adam spent his evening at home.

This new running schedule is wonderful.  I’m preparing for a half-marathon and thankfully, the weather has been improving, so that I can run outdoors! Awesome!

The past weekend brought a morning of sleeping in (Whoohoo! 8:30!), then spending some time doing some much-needed cleaning.  I even took my 5-mile run outside, enjoying the weather and the relaxation of exercising (yes, I did just say that), but most-enjoyable to me was the silence stillness peace I experienced just having some wonderful time, relaxing on my clean bed in my freshly cleaned/organized room and reading the Word and Crazy Love by Francis Chan.

That, my friends, is what it means to be still.  So 30-seconds ago, you think.  You probably rolled your eyes.  But, in a new way, amidst the busyness of life and the 2-minute devotional I listen to at work with the quiettimediary.com reading schedule, I found real rest in stopping, waiting, listening, … silence.

When was the last time you were quiet, silent, in the presence of God and really spent some quality time just reveling in His Glory and His Love?