Is your life loud?
Does the noise of your world crowd out the peace that should be in your heart as a follower of Jesus Christ?
Today I am pondering the benefits of quiet time. I am not speaking of having a quiet time with Jesus. I’m all about that, and strongly encourage you to have one! Rather, I want us to think about times of quiet, where there is no television, no electronic media, no radio…just quiet solitude.
I sent this page of pondering out to my newsletter subscribers last week, but was urged by the Spirit to offer it to you today. So, if you are a newsletter subscriber and have already read this, you are excused.
In my day job as a pharmacist, I am constantly bombarded by noise…telephones ringing, employees asking questions, patients wanting my attention, printers spitting out labels, the door chime ringing, sounds of tablets being poured out of and into bottles…constant noise. By the end of a ten-hour day, when I get home, I am DONE with noise and activity. In the past, my end of the workday routine was that I would get in my car, turn on The Message (Sirius SM Radio), and drive the 40 miles home. My husband would be waiting for me, wanting a hug and a chat. I, on the other hand, would NOT be wanting a hug and a chat. Instead, I just wanted to eat a few bites of supper and hide for about 30 minutes. Needless to say, that is not a great prescription for happiness in a marriage.
Now, I’m a slow learner, so give me some grace here. It was just in the last couple of weeks that I realized that I had the power to change how I reacted to my Man when I walked in the door after a day at the pharmacy. I know….DUH!!!
Jesus gave us the example in Luke 5:16 (NIV)
But Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed.
The words ‘lonely places’ are often translated as the wilderness or the desert. Most of us cannot traipse off into the desert at the end of a wild and wooly day. All of us can, however, find a quiet place somewhere in our everyday life where we can withdraw. It might be a closet, a bathroom, the car, or behind a bush, but there is a quiet place for every person, if we will hunt for it. For me and the situation I am sharing about, my quiet place is in my car.
Since the revelation hit that I have the POWER, I have made two changes.
First, I DO NOT turn on the radio when I get into my car to come home. I’ve had mental and sensory stimulation all day long. I need a quiet time to let my brain calm down. That means no radio.
Second, I pray and ask the Lord to give me a gentle and calm spirit when I get home. I ask Him to help me love my husband well in those moments after arriving home.
Guess what? It has made a huge difference. Friend, if you are like me, and have a job that is high stress and high stimulation, consider carving out a few moments of quiet. I promise it will change your life. YOU have the POWER.
