A to Z Challenge: Quiet

Growing up, I was taught the importance of having a “quiet time.” This is where you read the Bible and pray every day. Since I’ve become an adult, I’ve realized the “quiet” part is very important.

Too often we go to God and we do all the talking. Not that we shouldn’t talk to Him. We need to. But we also need to listen for Him to speak to us too. And we do this by getting quiet.

We lead busy, loud, chaotic lives. And that’s even more of a reason to get quiet. Our church recently had a conference on listening to God. One of the ways to listen to Him is through silence. It can be hard to get really still and quiet. We may find it awkward even. We did an exercise where we sat for fifteen minutes or so in silence. My thoughts raced. I found it tough to not think about this or that; to really quiet my mind was difficult. But there are so many voices vying for our attention, pulling us here and there, it’s crucial to get still and quiet.

I think God usually speaks in the quiet places. Problem is, I think sometimes we like the noise. We like to keep busy so we don’t have to face things. Or listen. But as the saying goes, we are human beings not human doings. Sometimes we just need to stop and be. It takes some practice, but this is a habit I’d like to continue to pursue. In this crazy world full of screaming voices, a little centeredness and calm is an invaluable commodity.