O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul.
my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
too great and too marvelous for me.
But I have calmed and quieted my soul.
Quiet anything is not generally encouraged in our society, I know. The shy, non-talkative people are torn down (who are some of the funnest people I know, by the way!) and the loud extroverts built up and idealized (even though I love extroverts as well). For years I have struggled with wanting to always having something to say or add to the conversation, whether or not it aids to the conversation or not. It gives me a sense of power and importance, and while having something to say isn't bad, having something to say around the clock isn't so great.
This love of talking carried over into my time with God where I wasn't exhibiting a thriving relationship either. A true relationship has conversation and sharing on both sides. Mine was rarely anything more then a one-sided conversation! Any listening was solely on God's part.
I was convicted of my lack of really being quiet before the Lord when I read this from Sacred Singleness by Leslie Ludy: 'Take time to listen to Him every day, even if it seems like a foolish thing to do. Ask Him specific questions. Wait for Him, and He will speak. I love John 10:27, which says, "My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me." That is one of the most powerful scriptures.'
You want to hear God's voice? Then you've gotta start listening.
To practice, take time to just sit quietly in God's presence. Ask him to help you focus, and he'll be faithful. Do your best to not think about breakfast, school, or what the heck that weird noise is from downstairs, no matter how hard it is. And speaking of asking God for things, you can ask Him to speak to you and to use His Holy Spirit to show you what He's telling you.
I've found that sometimes He does speak, but more often then not, He doesn't. And that's okay! By being silent and just listening for Him, you're acknowledging that He is real, and there, and that He is worthy of your time and attention.
This can be a great time to meditate on Scripture too! One of my favorites is Zephaniah 3:17: 'The LORD your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing.'
I struggle with being quiet and keeping my mouth shut just as much as any of you (Ecclesiastes 4:6 is scary convicting!), but I have found that when I purposely take time to calm my thoughts and submit myself to my King in purposeful quiet time, I am filled with such refreshing peace.
Today, for the loud girls, myself COMPLETELY included in that category, and yes, for the not-so-loud girls too (this applies to everybody!!), I challenge you to take time for your Savior and practice being quiet in His presence, so that when it comes time to be with your friends, maybe listening will come just a little bit easier. :)
-photo credit Picjumbo-
Chloe Salts is an aspiring writer, pumpkin latte snob, sweater-loving sophomore who is slowly learning, day by day, what it means to fall in love with her Savior.
Give her books and chocolate and she will bake cupcakes for you until Jesus comes to take her home. True story.
Follow her on Bloglovin to hear more of her daily ramblings!
15 comments
Love this! Although I'm not a really loud person, I believe that this advice will work for either introvert or extrovert. What an awesome message! Thank you for sharing. :)
ReplyDeleteI wholeheartedly agree, thank you for pointing that out, Eve;)
DeleteSuch an amazing lesson. I had to learn this when I was really young (when I was ten) but it's something that does take awhile to learn.
ReplyDeletexoxo Morning
I agree!!! Never an easy process but I'm learning that it's so worth it!
DeleteThis is a great reminded for me! Last summer I was doing a pretty good job taking some time during my quiet time to just, ya know, be quite. But as the school year care bearing down on me, I have defiantly not done a good job in this area of my relationship with God. Thanks for the great reminder!
ReplyDelete~Sarah Faulkner
Inklined
I know exactly what you mean!!! It's easy for me to say when school hasn't picked up in craziness yet, so I'm hoping i'll still be able to focus on God as it increases;) you can do it, girly!!!
DeleteSometimes I try to have something to say in every single minute of a group conversation, and half the time what comes out is completely and utterly stupid. I need to listen and stop too. But then, with the whole idolizing loud people, I think it's good to be loud too. Just listen.
ReplyDelete-M
The Life of Little Me
Exactly!!! "Think before you speak"?! What is this sorcery?
DeleteYes! We've all been created differently, some extrovert an some introvert, but we all need to practice listening ;)
This is a great reminder, even for us quiet people! Thank you so much for writing such heartfelt words. :-D
ReplyDeletexoxo
My pleasure, Adelaide! ;) I'm glad it was a good reminder. I know I need it every day.
DeleteI used to be a really loud person, a classic ESFP. So much has changed in just the past year and a half...I'm now very much and XNFP:) I've been getting so, so much better at listening since where I used to be. It's a great reminder. It's so fun to watch the quality of your blog improving day by day, Chloe! You're pretty fantastic.
ReplyDeleteSofia you are such a darling!! I love your sweet comments that I can tell you put thought into.
DeleteThat's amazing that you've grown so much and come so far. ;)) and thank you! My blog has kinda grown too hehe ^.^
This was honestly such a good reminder. I'm an ESTP (well, last time I checked) and even though I'm a so called extrovert, I probably act more like an introvert. When I hear others having conversations, I long to add my two word sentence, to just add to the conversation. But no, shyness wins. Yet, as Stephen King said, the quietest people have the loudest minds, so yes, the quiet ones need to learn to be quiet before the Lord just as much as anybody else :D Great post anyways :)
ReplyDeleteI agree, and I'm regretting titling it what I did because it's so good for everyone!! ;))
DeleteAgreed! The Lord is so patient and always there to listen to us as we pour our hearts out to him. He even tells us to cast all our anxiety on Him, because it matters to Him concerning us (1 Peter 5:7). However, in a real love relationship, it is only fair for him to be able to tell us what is on His heart too! The more I fall in love with the Lord, the more I want to spend time quietly in his presence, allowing Him to speak to me.
ReplyDeleteVery convicting! Great post.
Hey! Person commenting! Yes, you. Wanna know something?
You're kinda awesome.