The Attitude of Quiet

“Our culture puts high value on doing — pushing us to be everything,
do everything, and see everything.
We have been trained to “do.”
This conditioning makes it difficult for us to be still.
Quiet tends to unnerve us.”
– Kathy Howard, Embrace by Holiness

Twice in one morning I read about busy-ness not equaling production. We get those messages from time to time: the ones where God is gently nudging in an area that needs attention in our personal lives.

When asked to do something, or how I’m doing, I don’t quickly respond with, “I’m too busy.”

I’m actually prone to say, “I’m not as busy as people think I am.”

But I think this time around, “busy” may look different during this season.

I’ve laid out the plans, as the Lord has led, for our homeschool year. That is a lot of stuff to keep us busy during our day. I don’t want to be the one always doing and seeing. I want to be the one that’s being.

There’s an excitement of freshness and newness that comes with a school year starting. It’s kind of like a “do over.” This year I will:

• study harder during my quiet time
• get up earlier
• start lessons on time
• memorize more Bible verses with the kids
• not be idle
• be intentional on having dinner ready at a decent hour
• declutter and organize my house
• keep my house cleaner
• have the kids help more with chores
• be a volunteer with my husband and the children

All of those things are great goals but should not overrun the main thing of quiet and stillness. I’ve known days when that (quiet and stillness) wasn’t a priority, and it hardly ever goes well. When I get to that “fed up” point, because my feet hit the ground running, I can ALWAYS pinpoint the cause. I wasn’t quiet or still. It messes with my peace and joy, y’all!

While God is right now nudging me in this matter, I’ll gladly take it by the teaspoonful before it becomes a 2×4 across the forehead.

When the day begins, in the middle of a teaching session, right before dinner, when telling everyone to go to bed; I want to have an attitude of quiet.

What would that look like?

For me, it would look like prayer. It would be opportunities to stop and pray when:

• a friend comes to mind
• opening my Bible to read
• my husband has a long work day ahead
• I need to understand/figure out/clarify things
• I see a neighbor jog by my window
• my children awake
• my grandson’s precious face comes up on my screen
• my teenage sons say, “I’ll be in the neighborhood,” as they walk out the door
• my siblings need me
• another mom is struggling
• a friend’s marriage is in trouble
• a chance to speak life into someone’s heart is presented
• I need to handle conflict between/amongst my children
• my young daughter needs extra attention (because she’s now surrounded by her brothers)
• my young adult daughters need Biblical guidance
• our puppies are being house broken (the struggle is real!)

All day I could be praying and not busy. Its a matter of an attitude of quiet. Those prayers may only take a few seconds, but they make an impact for the kingdom!

We can take our cues from two wonderful sisters in the Bible, Mary and Martha (Luke 10:38-42).

• Jesus entered their house. If you are a Christ-follower, Jesus is already living in you.
• There’s a choice of busy or quiet, hearing or distractions, that they both had.

There’s time to do what needs to be done. We need to be mindful to choose “the good portion [that which is to her advantage].” (v.41, AMP)

It can greatly shape our day.

I want to hear from you! What would an attitude of quiet look like for you? What would you like for it to be like?