To Live a Quiet Life - The Crosswalk Devotional - October 16

To Live a Quiet Life
By Heidi Vegh

“She looks well to the ways of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness.” - Proverbs 31:27

I have recently landed in a space in my life where I am home by myself for hours a day while my kids are in school. I am adjusting to the quiet around me as I have been a stay-at-home mom for sixteen years and have yet to experience this “days on end” kind of quiet. I have no trouble at all finding things to do. I have closets or organize, articles to write, laundry to fold, and weeds to be pulled. However, I find myself torn between staying busy and filling my time wisely but also allowing time to just be still.

I am having trouble finding the balance between good solid quiet time and being productive with the time the Lord has blessed me with. So how do we marry the two? Let’s look at what Jesus says about idleness and being still.

Being idle could also be termed as laziness or avoiding work/ without purpose or pointless. It is so easy to set aside all important and life-giving work and fall into the temptation to live a life of idleness. Seeking only pleasure and rest. In our “me-centered” culture, we are conditioned to believe that if we can live a life of luxury, laying on a beach somewhere, having people serve us, then we have arrived.

However, this is the exact opposite of what the Lord has for us. When we live for Jesus, He will instill in us a passion to work for Him, serve Him and bring others to Him. This can happen in ministry, your job, your home, or simply spending time with your neighbors. Pursuing a pleasure-filled life will leave us empty and longing. Although vacations and lazy days on the beach can be a blessed gift from God, it should not be our sole purpose in life to attain that lifestyle.

We can also get trapped in a life of busyness. We are duped into believing that our busyness is productive, but if its only purpose is to fill our time, then we are wasting our precious energy. It is easy to find many things to fill our time. Do you find yourself staying busy just to avoid being alone with your thoughts? In this age of constant digital disruption, a quiet moment is rare. We can sit still, but we have been so accustomed to the noise that even when we do have a quiet moment, we are quick to fill it.

"Besides that, they learn to be idlers, going about from house to house, and not only idlers but also gossips and busybodies, saying what they should not." - 1 Timothy 5:13

Jesus warns us about both kinds of living. He gifted us with talents and spiritual gifts. Every human was created with a purpose. He commands us to utilize these gifts and make good use of our time. Not only for us but to further the kingdom of God.

"Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” Matthew 28:19-20

God longs for us to set aside time in our lives to sit with Him and listen to His voice. He understands that life can become overwhelming with multiple things clamoring for our attention. It takes intentionality to shut off the noise to spend time with our creator. These are precious moments where He can meet us right where you are. You ought not to believe that lie that you do not have the time. If you sacrifice time with the Lord, He will bless you with the abundant ability and time to get all your things done.

I can understand that some of us may resist spending time with the Lord because we know that if He speaks to us, He may ask us to give up things or reprioritize things in our lives to be more pleasing to Him. This may feel uncomfortable at first, but when you align your life with the Lord, you will be living your best possible life.

In Psalm 46:10, we read, "Be still and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."

Intersecting Life and Faith:

What can you do this week to prioritize setting aside time with the Lord?
Can you take inventory of your tasks throughout the day? Are you working on a project just to stay busy? Does it have a real purpose?
What can you take out of your life to make room for the Lord to speak to you?
Pray and ask the Holy Spirit to help you reprioritize, showing you where you are idle, where you are busy and where you can create time to spend with him.

Further Reading:

Photo credit: Unsplash/Carolyn V

Heidi Vegh is a writer, speaker, and ministry leader living in Western Washington. She is a remarried mother of four, navigating the blended family life after the loss of her first husband to cancer in 2013. She longs to use her writing as a way to encourage others who have experienced loss and guide them on the road to healing. She contributes to her blog found at www.mrsheidivegh.com , sharing stories and devotionals of faith stemming from her loss and healing, mothering, and her blended and complex family. She graduated from Southern New Hampshire University with a degree in Creative Writing and English and is working on her first book. Heidi is the Women’s Ministry Director at her local church and has a deep heart for sharing Jesus with women and encouraging them in their faith walk. When she is not writing, she loves to travel, read, craft, and experiment in the kitchen. Visit her Facebook and Instagram (@mrsheidivegh) to learn more.