SHHHHH! Just be quiet!!!!!

Do you ever wonder sometimes, what is the point?

What is the point of all this hustling and bustling and thriving and striving? 

It seems as if our tasks are never ending. The laundry is NEVER EVER caught up, and we are drowning, simply trying to keep up. To keep up with the demands and the schedules and the social media posts and the activities and the commitments, and oh yeah we need to have a little fun in there somewhere. Sometimes, actually, a lot of times, it can feel daunting, even overwhelming. 

Why?

Why do we do this?

What are we in a race for?

Where exactly are we trying to get to?

What are we trying to achieve?

And once we get there?

Why is that never enough? 

We live in a world that seems to demand more and better and more.  We live in a world where knowledge is at our fingertips, where we can see what people are up to by the click of a button, where we have resources to order anything online. And you would think having this access would make life simpler and more convenient and would allow us more space. Yet, it seems to somehow do the opposite. 

I made a commitment a few weeks ago to say NO to 90% of the things I am asked or feel expected to do. And I can’t say I have hit 90%, but it has really challenged me to create gap, and to create margin in my schedule and in my life. 

It’s a work in progress and as I type this, I realize why does it have to be a work in progress? 

Why does it have to be work at all? Why can’t we simply flow through life making the most important task of our day our margin time, our quiet time, our space to think and dream and pray and read?  Our time to sit before God, to seek Him, to listen for His voice, His nudges, His direction. 

Because, you see we have a God who is ALWAYS with us, always directing, always in communion and communication with us, but somehow we’re missing it. We’re too busy trying to keep up with (I am not sure what) life? 

But what is the point? To accumulate more stuff? To achieve higher? To be validated by those who don’t even know us nor really care? To have a few “fun” experiences? What are we chasing? Fun? Money? Success? Family? Vacations?  Status? Retirement? Approval? And why is it that when we get there, when we arrive, we are not satisfied and there’s just something else to chase? 

What is the point? 

Maybe the point is to do the exact opposite of what we are actually doing. Maybe it’s to chase less, and to be still more. Maybe it’s to get quiet and to simply listen to God’s gentle, loving voice that is leading us daily. You see, we live in a world that even our quiet time has to get scheduled in and gets “stolen” by our other “more important” to do’s. But when we look at the big picture of life, are they really that important? When I am on my death bed, will it really matter? I don’t want to look back and say I achieved a bunch of meaningless things. I want to look back and say I lived my life on purpose. I lived the life that I was uniquely created to live. And I believe the ONLY way we can do that is by doing less, by being still, by taking time to seek God’s voice, to seek His will, so seek His purpose that he has planted within us. 

But we can’t hear that, nor see that, nor experience that with all the noise. We need to be intentional about turning off the noise, and carving out space and time to simply sit, quietly, humbly, in anticipation, listening to the voice and whispers of our Maker. Our Loving God who wants nothing more than a deep and meaningful relationship with us. 

“Be still and know that I am God.”