Do you have a favorite sense? They are all wonderful, but my favorite is hearing. Nothing refreshes my soul more than the sound of laughter, the birds chirping in the early morning, and of course, listening to worship music. Sometimes though, too much of a good thing can be, well, too much! Most of the time, finding that bit of quiet is as easy as changing rooms or asking my offspring to lower the volume. But, sometimes, no matter what I do or where I go, the noise is just overwhelming.
Noise can be a blessing and a stressor. It depletes the immune system and taxes the body when it’s a stressor. But, how do you find peace and quiet when the world is loudly spinning around you?
Admittedly, it all depends on your family’s stage of life. What works for a mom of high school kids doesn’t work with the demands of a newborn. For some stages of life, finding your quiet is a demand all of its own. If we stay up late, we suffer for it in the morning. If we get up early, we lack sufficient sleep or are joined by curious feet who want to share mom’s quiet time.
How do you get your quiet and still love your little noisemakers? The best way I’ve found is to teach my children about the blessings of quiet. To love the stillness and the ability to tune in to hear the voice of God. One day they will appreciate this gift. Even if the toddler’s version is 30 seconds, as they grow, so will their ability to be still.
Looking to the word in search of quiet, in Zephaniah 3:17, the Bible says, “The Lord your God in your midst, the Mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you with His love, He will rejoice over you with singing.”
God not only wants to save us, but he wants to give us peace and quiet! So, he makes the provision to quiet us when we go to Him. And, we can be confident that He can calm any storm around us.
When we seek God, He is faithful to meet us where we are. And that includes in the midst of noise and chaos. So, while we can’t always stop the noise, God is good to give us inner quiet in the midst of it!
You can check out the many homeschooling resources at Rainbow Resource Center!
