Quiet in the Clutter

Ah, the smell of Spring. Oh how I love thee.

Spring is most definitely in the air (at least for those of us living in sunny Florida with 80 degree weather). There’s something about this time of year that is motivating. I don’t know if it’s the weather change or the fact that bathing suit season is rapidly approaching, or if it’s all the newness. My roommates and I have a rose bush next to our door that’s been pathetically dead for quite some time. The other day I drove up and noticed at least five large white roses and at least ten buds. It brought a smile to my face.

With this new motivation, spring cleaning has begun. The other night I was up until 3:00 AM, after working 17 hours, cleaning out my closet. As if it were necessary to accomplish the task at THAT very moment.

I do hate clutter though. Junk. Stuff. Blah! Gives me a migraine.

Best feeling ever = getting rid of crap you don’t need/use/want/like.

Life gets busy… two jobs, full time student, volunteering; my room can’t help but turn into an unorganized disaster sometimes. I feel like I live in my car. I almost always have a bag of work clothes, my backpack with laptop and school work, and a bag of everyday clothes/toiletries. It’s no wonder I lose things (I’m currently looking for a watch) between all the changes, loading and unloading.

Busyness. That’s all this talk is. It’s the hustle and bustle of everyday life. We all experience it. I’m sure your days are often similar to mine: going from one thing to the next, to the next, until your head hits the pillow for a short time and you wake only to do it all over again. Lately though, I’ve been over it. SO over going non-stop. I figured out that over the course of the last two weeks I’ve worked over 86 hours, written six two-page papers, one ten-page paper on top of the 18 hours of reading/homework, driven to Orlando and back twice, and to Boca and back once.

How much time was spent with God? Or in silence? Or reading my Bible? I can tell you with regret a very small percentage.  Not on purpose of course. I mean, I think I can say I’m always in conversation with God but at some point I have to turn down the noise and listen.

The other morning it was raining and I was early driving to work so I stopped at a park. I just sat in my car listening to the rain. Watching each drop as it streaked a wiggly path down my windshield. It was the most beautiful silence.

God, I thought, thank you for the rain. I noticed the roses. Thank you. I’m sorry I didn’t say thank you yet, they’re beautiful. 

The rain slowed. And in a deep breath I felt like God hugged me. Like he was saying, finally. Finally, he had my attention. My FULL attention. And my appreciation.

In my busyness I’d pulled a Martha…

 As Jesus and the disciples continued on their way to Jerusalem, they came to a certain village where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught. But Martha was distracted by the big dinner she was preparing. She came to Jesus and said, “Lord, doesn’t it seem unfair to you that my sister just sits here while I do all the work? Tell her to come and help me.”

But the Lord said to her, “My dear Martha, you are worried and upset over all these details! There is only one thing worth being concerned about. Mary has discovered it, and it will not be taken away from her.” -Luke 10:38-42 (NLT)

Letting the “obligations” of our lives take us away from what we know is truly important is a Martha mentality. Mary had it right, sitting in silence hanging out with God—distraction free! When was the last time you fully immersed yourself in anything--no multitasking involved?

As I sat in my car thinking over this whole Martha mentality I’d been living, I decided to spend the week in silence. No TV, no Facebook, no radio, no distractions. Yes, I had to go to work and of  course do homework. But I eliminated all the clutter I could.

Quietness helps push back the things that block us from God. Our thinking patterns often become routine and engrained in a specific path. For you, it may be a pattern of negativity, insecurity, worry, anxiety  or fear. These bulldozers destroy our ability to find peace in the silence. They distract us from the renewal that comes in the stillness . Silence through God goes beneath our thoughts, feelings and imagination. It begin to clear a new path that presents a reality of peace in what truly matters.

You know that feeling I mentioned earlier, the one you feel when you’ve just cleaned the junk and clutter out of your room or house… that’s what my mind and soul feel like right now. Refreshed. Cleansed. Renewed. Turns out, a little silence does a lot of good.  

With that, I’m not going to continue to ramble. I’m going to leave you with some thoughts on silence and suggest you pull a Mary; spend time listening in silence at the feet of Jesus…

Turn off your phone, music, tv and computer (after you finish reading this) and give God 10 minutes. Yes, right now.

·         Select a passage from below that you really relate to; that speaks to you. Read it. Then read it again. And again. Then, be quiet. (If you need to, rewrite it on a sheet of paper and go somewhere you won’t be distracted.)

·         Close your eyes and think about what you’ve read. Think about what words or phrases stick out the most. Reread them.

·         Think about what God is trying to tell you in this moment.

·         Close your eyes.

·         Be silent. Be still. Breath.

·         Inhale his promises. Exhale the distractions.

·         Pray. Be thankful.

·         Sit at the feet of God and listen.

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"Here's what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won't be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.

The world is full of so-called prayer warriors who are prayer-ignorant. They're full of formulas and programs and advice, peddling techniques for getting what you want from God. Don't fall for that nonsense. This is your Father you are dealing with, and he knows better than you what you need. With a God like this loving you, you can pray very simply. Like this:

Our Father in heaven,
Reveal who you are.
Set the world right;
Do what's best— as above, so below.
Keep us alive with three square meals.
Keep us forgiven with you and forgiving others.
Keep us safe from ourselves and the Devil.
You're in charge!
You can do anything you want!
You're ablaze in beauty!
Amen. "

~Matthew 6:6-13 (MSG)

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7-10So let God work his will in you. Yell a loud no to the Devil and watch him scamper. Say a quiet yes to God and he'll be there in no time. Quit dabbling in sin. Purify your inner life. Quit playing the field. Hit bottom, and cry your eyes out. The fun and games are over. Get serious, really serious. Get down on your knees before the Master; it's the only way you'll get on your feet. ~James 4:7-10 (MSG)

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4 I'm asking God for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I'll contemplate his beauty;
I'll study at his feet.

5 That's the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic. ~Psalm 27:4&5(MSG)

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3-4 Get insurance with God and do a good deed,
settle down and stick to your last.
Keep company with God,
get in on the best.

5-6 Open up before God, keep nothing back;
he'll do whatever needs to be done:
He'll validate your life in the clear light of day
and stamp you with approval at high noon.

7 Quiet down before God,
be prayerful before him.
Don't bother with those who climb the ladder,
who elbow their way to the top. ~Psalm 37:1-7(MSG)

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7 Purify me from my sins, and I will be clean;
wash me, and I will be whiter than snow.
8 Oh, give me back my joy again;
you have broken me—
now let me rejoice.
9 Don’t keep looking at my sins.
Remove the stain of my guilt.
10 Create in me a clean heart, O God.
Renew a loyal spirit within me.
11 Do not banish me from your presence,
and don’t take your Holy Spirit from me.

12 Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
and make me willing to obey you.
13 Then I will teach your ways to rebels,
and they will return to you. ~Psalm 51:7-13 (NLT)

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Oh, thank God—he's so good! His love never runs out.
All of you set free by God, tell the world!
Tell how he freed you from oppression,
Then rounded you up from all over the place,
from the four winds, from the seven seas.

4-9 Some of you wandered for years in the desert,
looking but not finding a good place to live,
Half-starved and parched with thirst,
staggering and stumbling, on the brink of exhaustion.
Then, in your desperate condition, you called out to God.
He got you out in the nick of time;
He put your feet on a wonderful road
that took you straight to a good place to live.
So thank God for his marvelous love,
for his miracle mercy to the children he loves.
He poured great draughts of water down parched throats;
the starved and hungry got plenty to eat. ~Psalm 107:1-9 (MSG)