Seeking Stillness

March 13, 2012 By

You are done in. Tired. Weary. What’s the sure cure? A bit of stillness in His presence, allowing Him to fill your cup so that you can carry on.

But, sippy cups need re-filling, diapers need changing, clothes need washing, and meals need cooking.  And somehow stillness before the Savior seems like a funny joke, doesn’t it?!

The tyranny of the urgent often crowds out our need for true stillness in His presence.  This is especially true in this moment in time where busyness is trendy, electronic gadgets are additional limbs, and quiet moments are seen as spaces to be filled.

But the Lord continues to invite us to rest in His presence.

The Lord is my Shepherd, I shall not want.  
He masked me lie down in green pastures; He leads me beside quiet waters.  
He restores my soul; He guides in the paths of righteousness For His name’s sake.
 Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I fear no evil for You are with me;
Your rod and Your staff, they comfort me.  
You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You have anointed my head with oil ; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and lovingkindness will follow me all the days of my life,
And I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever.
Psalm 23
 
Steal away for a few minutes and let Him speak to your soul through His Word.  Refresh yourself in the peace of His Presence, and carry that into your day full of busy mothering. 
 
“I have been waiting for these moments to come upon me, expecting them to appear and then take hold of them, but I am also learning that I have to build them into the foundations of this life our family is making. I have to create time set apart to be filled with the Word of the scriptures to confess my own depravity, to seek grace in quiet places so that I can cultivate grace in the busy ones.” -Kristen Kill, Hope With Feathers

You have no time, you say? Your house is too crazy, your life too busy to carve out a few moments of quiet? Seeking stillness requires thought and diligence…you have to plan for it! Here are some ideas:
 
  • 1. See stillness as a need, not a want. Make it a priority {and let go of any guilt you might have}. Then plan accordingly.
  • 2. Turn it off. The iphone, the computer, the TV, the noise.
  • 3. Wake up early or stay up late.  Or perhaps instead of being productive during nap time, steal a few quiet moments.
  • 4. Employ help.  Ask your husband, mom, friend, or hire someone to give you a few moments of quiet. {again, no guilt!}
  • 5. Don’t wait! I encourage you to start today. Light a candle, fix yourself something delicious to drink, turn on some quiet music, grab your Bible, and enjoy some refreshing stillness.

Be still before Him and rest in simplicity and solitude as you worship Him.  Allow Him to transform you through His Word so that you might become a deep well for others to draw from, a life-giving spring that refreshes your family and others. {Isaiah 40:31, Psalm 46:10, Psalm 16:11, and 2 Corinthians 3:18}

Do you find it difficult to find some stillness in your day? What is hindering you from seeking stillness? Share your thoughts!

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28 Comments | Filed Under: Following God, Parenting, Prayer
About Joy

Joy is the wife to a missionary pilot and they, along with their five kids, live in Indonesia.  Joy is a proud wife, blessed mommy, Diet Coke fanatic, runner, homeschooler, reader, thinker, home-maker, lover of nature, and most of all, an undeserving recipient of amazing grace, and grateful daughter of God.  Joy's heart is to encourage women to revel in their job as mommy and wife, and to see it as good and needed work.  She shares her heart and life of being a mom with readers at her site, Grace Full Mama.

  • Erin Messing

    I have been trying to instill some hard stops in my day, to refocus on Christ yet have found it difficult as there is always interruptions and to-dos. I love your idea of making that stillness a need rather than a want. Perhaps with that view those still moments will be easier to accomplish.

    • Joy

      Oh I hope so Erin! I know that making stillness a priority is a challenge, but I do believe it is so worth it!

  • Natashad

    I love starting my day in God’s word, reflecting on it in a notebook and praying (with a prayer book to jot down those people and those things in my life that need prayer and praise)! I really look forward to this time and I always hope that it will be my alone time at 6am, however, I sometimes have someone on my lap or close beside me also reading. It is a great way to start my day!

    • Joy

      What a beautiful picture! Thank you for sharing that with us!

  • http://www.lorialexander.blogspot.com/ Lori

    I love the verse from Isaiah “In quietness and trust is your strength” and the verse in the NT that tells us to “study to be quiet.” Those 2 verses have really spoke to me recently about the need to be quiet and listen to God’s voice and trust Him completely!

    • Joy

      Wow! Great thoughts Lori! I love it!

  • Randomacts101

    Thank you Joy for this wonderful reminder to make STILLNESS…a NEED. I want it in my life all the more these days…and do struggle to keep it in a portion of each day…due to crazies of life. However when I do stop…and place myself in the stillness of the Lord…everything goes SO much better. Thank you again!

    • Joy

      Exactly!! Thanks so much for sharing your thoughts!

  • http://www.averagehousewife.com/ Paula

    The thoughts that keep me from being still are that I have a hard enough time keeping up with everything. If I take time to be still, I’ll just be more behind. I know in my heart that the truth is that it’s worth it and that I’ll ultimately have more peace.

    • Joy

      Yes, it is difficult to combat those voices, isn’t it Paula? But, you are right, it is so worth it! :)

  • http://www.joyfilleddays.com/ Sarah Beals

    I agree, 110%. Especially moms who are training kids all day! We need ALL the supernatural strength we can get. I needed that so much this morning, so I was up before the crack of dawn to read in solitude. Yesterday, I pulled into a supermarket parking lot so I could have 15 minutes alone before I went to church. (it’s a ministry thing! you understand, don’t you? ;) We all need this. “Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness…they shall be satisfied!”

    • Joy

      Yes, yes, yes Sarah! I love that you pulled over into the supermarket! :)

  • Susan Heid

    It is always a struggle! If it doesn’t happen first thing in the morning, rarely does it happen. I have to create that initial conversation with The Lord in order to set the stage and allow His strength to be the mom I need to be. You are right, stillness is a need, not a want!

    • Joy

      Thank you Susan for your thoughts! I love the word picture you painted of the Lord setting the stage. Beautiful!

  • http://www.gracetoabide.com/ Catherine

    I have three small children, and my lifeline is my weekly afternoon off! It sounds a bit luxurious, but for me it’s a necessity, and my husband can see the value in it too since I come home so much more refreshed and focussed. I hire a babysitter for a couple of hours and just go and sit in a local cafe, sipping tea and reading a book. Sometimes I walk around the park. It’s a great time to be with God and reassess my priorities, in addition to my quiet times in the morning. I highly recommend it if you’re able to arrange it. If you can’t afford a babysitter perhaps you could swap with another mum who also has young children so you both get blessed :-)

    • Joy

      That sounds just wonderful! What a great idea. I don’t think it sounds a bit luxurious, I think it sounds smart!

  • http://profiles.google.com/kellyhallahan Kelly Hallahan

    I’ve been getting up at 5:30am for Lent. And while it has been a challenge, the time has been so sweet! But ironically no matter how early I set my alarm, my boys (3 & 5) sense it. For awhile my three year old was actually calling for me 5 minutes before alarm was set, every day. I don’t know how he did it. But I press through. And when they wake shortly after I do, I ask them to play quietly, give them a cold breakfast, or invite them to join me with their story Bible. It’s tough but so worth it!

    • Joy

      Good job Kelly! I’m an early riser too. I love the stillness and quiet in the pre-dawn moments.

  • Becky

    Love this, Joy! I have also learned that it is possible to be still and to embrace stillness even in the midst of crazy. It can be the reality of life with little ones, but it is good for them to see me spending time in the Word of God.

    • Joy

      I agree. I, too, have had to deal with some noise and chaos in my life when I seek stillness too. I agree that it is so good for our kids to see that we are making spending time with the Lord a priority.

  • http://seekinghisgrace.com/ Missy

    What a great post!
    We just talked about this on Sunday in our class and we were challenged to do just 10 minutes a day. It is so very important to get that time in amidst the daily chaos.

    • Joy

      Love it Missy! Thanks for sharing!

  • Youngway

    I am an 82 year old great grandma, who has learned the value of early morning devotions. Joy, I appreciate your diligence and godly desires of a young mother and the great posts you do
    . But I wonder if you know that stillness and solitude are words the contemplative prayer movement people use with the dangers of another spirit. And I wonder what happened to wonderful words like devotional and worship and just plain reading the Word and prayer.

    • Joy

      Thanks for your comment. I do so appreciate your thoughts. I am in no way promoting anything that you said related to in relation to another spirit. or any sort of “movement.” If you notice in my post I speak of allowing Him to speak through His Word, that is Bible reading and worship of the Lord is simply praying His attributes to Him, so I would say that I was absolutely speaking of just plain reading the Word and prayer but perhaps in slightly more “flowery” terms. :) As one who lives overseas and deals with the reality of “other spirits” I would never want to give the impression that I am in any way associated with that. I think the words stillness and solitude are wonderful words, used in the Holy Word and I’m sorry if there was any confusion as to my using them in this context. :) Thanks!

  • Dayna

    I needed this today of all days. I have been trying so hard to get up early and prepare my day with God’s word but some days things just get in the way. Kids wake up earlier than usual, showers need to be taken, etc, etc, etc…. I missed my morning appointment with my Bible this morning, and I have had it on my mind all day and as I was preparing to sit down for the night I was checking up on what I’ve missed before I study my Bible and found this. Thank you as always for your encouragement for mothers.

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  • Mom23

    Joy – I follow your blog and I love your input into my life. Thank you!

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