A Quiet Time

This morning as I was driving the kids to school, my step-son asked that we turn on the radio. I was enjoying the quiet. The boys are not very talkative in the morning and I was having a nice "think."

After that, I started thinking about how little quiet there is in this world. Olivia had a post where she talked about there being televisions in the checkout at WalMart and how people can't seem to go anywhere these days without one. I have said the same thing about cell phones. What do these people have to talk about in the grocery store, the car, the mall, at a restaurant? Olivia was observing how far heaven seems from us at noisy times like her time at WalMart. I think that's a profound and remarkable observation.

I really enjoy quiet time. I get very little. My husband goes to work only on weekends. He usually has something playing; the radio or television. His mother lives with us and is bed-ridden for the most part. Her tv plays from the moment she wakes up and into the night...and usually kind of loud.

When I am here alone(once a month when he takes her for her checkup) there is silence. Sweet quiet. I need it and I wonder how others get along without it? Perhaps if there were more quiet, there would be less need for Xanax?

We were told to "Be Still and Know" that I am God. Now, I don't think that means we're supposed to be quiet all the time. It has more to do with the way our minds try so hard to figure things out ourselves or we worry and fret. Being still means to quiet your mind and trust God to guide you. But, I wonder...I wonder if we couldn't perceive God's presence more clearly if we spent more time just being quiet.

I wonder if guilt drives people to want so much noise. We don't like time to think about the choices we've made or perhaps the choices that have been made for us. We drown out our thoughts with the noise of other peoples' thoughts. But we need to think about our choices. Not wallow in them, of course. But in order to repent and seek forgiveness, we must face our sins and mistakes. I think we need quiet to reflect on Christ and His promises and to accept the forgiveness that He is so "faithful and just" to give. We need quiet to put our thoughts in order and thereby put our lives and homes in order.

I love cleaning with no background noise. I like to hear the water swish and the windows squeak. I really enjoy stitching in quiet. Oh, I watch my share of tv when stitching, too, but most of the time it's just really nice to sit and stitch in quiet. It is deeply relaxing.

I listen to the radio in the car sometimes. My pastor just told me about the new country legends station here in town. (104.9 if you want to check it out Cindi hehe)I have been listening to that all week and enjoying the songs from my childhood (and before). I also love "The Lake" at 103 something...they play Al Greene and others.

I enjoy music and some television and I think it's fine to have some noise in our lives. I just think that we also need to be conscious of too much noise. We need to seek quiet to rest our minds and listen for the guidance of the Holy Spirit. We ask for His guidance in our morning devotions and then often drown out the still, small voice with senseless voices who really have nothing to offer us but more stress and worry. (I mean the tv, not our kids and hubby). *smile*

Listen for the quiet in your day today. I will too. :)