The big moments get a lot of hype and it’s often well-deserved, but the small can be unseen, unnoticed, unheard of. Or maybe it’s none of those three but it gets pushed to the side.
I was standing over the kitchen sink, slowly and methodically rinsing and then slicing strawberries, when I caught myself thinking out loud: I really enjoy this.
Quiet. Easy. So simple. Not a big deal and certainly not life changing. But the thought caught me and held on for a bit, likely because it falls right in line with what I’ve spent the past several months learning (and re-learning).
The spiritual practice of finding and choosing quiet causes something in our souls to twist up tight and then unwind with relief.
We do one thing while thinking about or preparing for the next. Our thumbs scroll lit up iPhone screens while we stand in line at the checkout counter. We’re entering into June with relief but part of us is already thinking ahead to starting up in August. We are present but we are not. We do, do, do so we can be, be, be.
I can’t figure out just what we’re all trying to be.
More ___. Less ___. More like ___.
{Available as a free 8×10 print HERE}
It was some time back in February or March that I stopped listening to music in the car. My phone was always dinging, there was always someone to talk to, homework or words to intake, and a checklist to finish.
There was so much noise and my soul was begging for quiet.
So I turned the dial off. Not down, off. I don’t even know where I was headed but I do remember the odd, almost awkward minutes of silence.
I wanted to fill them with something. A phone call, text message alert, country songs, talk radio, anything.
But I sat there in the silence and quickly the twisting inside turned to sweet relief. I didn’t know how much my soul was craving a moment of silence until the noise disappeared.
I kept the radio off in my car for months and began to look for other ways to quiet my life.
I said “no” more often. I gracefully bowed out of a few opportunities. I skipped things I never would have missed – like an end of the year award ceremony. I missed receiving an important honor because I was sitting in the quiet of my room writing out a homework assignment.
I was still working, still doing. But there was a slow shift inside, one I’m still beginning to recognize.
I purposely chose the semi-dark of a room lit with white Christmas lights and a computer screen over an award, a stage, clapping and fluorescent lighting. And I breathed easier because of it.
Yes, there is a time and place for the noise. Believe me, I attended lots of things with lots of noise. I didn’t stop my life – I simply started to recognize a pull toward the quieter places.
I thought a lot more. I felt a bit deeper. I wrestled with some tough stuff. The quiet made room to hear Him speak.
And then I found myself standing over a colander full of just-washed strawberries, thinking how lovely and enjoyable the moment was.
Not for Instagram or a viral blog post, but for my soul. It was beautiful for my soul. I’m learning to savor the small and to choose the unhurried path. It’s the road less traveled, but there’s a bit less noise.
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This post was inspired by a bowl of strawberries and the book Savor (by Shauna Niequist), but truly it’s been churning inside for months. When I received Shauna’s new devotional last month, I knew that when the time was right to share these words, her words would weave their way in. Savor is Shauna’s newest work and it is exquisite, to say the least. I’ve read countless devotionals but none even close to being like hers. It is welcoming and you’ll learn so much, but her words won’t make you feel like you’re being in a classroom. Instead, she teaches by sharing stories and lessons from her life. Yesterday’s is pictured below and it is lovely.
If you’re looking for a gift that will give again and again, this is a great option. But it’s also a good one to keep on your nightstand, right next to that phone that likes to make noise. Choose what you’ll savor… I hope you’ll pick a little bit more of the simple today.
To download a free 8×10 print of ‘Stop the Glorification of Busy,’
simply click over to my Freebies page.
I was provided with a copy of Savor by BookLookBloggers. Affiliate links have been used in this post.
We do glorify busy, and it is hard to get off that Merry-Go-Round. Good for you for intentionally getting quiet!
I so agree with you, Kaitlyn! I only listen to the radio in the car when I’m on a long drive and have done this for years. It provides some of the best thinking time ever!! This book sounds awesome…I’ll definitely have to check it out!
So many times yes! Having just finished a hectic semester and entering into summer break now, I feel like my soul is truly yearning for that quiet and slowing down to enjoy the moments… but it is proving to be quite difficult! Being used to do many things at the same time, I definitely need to start practicing on focusing the one task that’s ahead of me and not do two or three other tasks at the same time. But you are so right on this point: it is a spiritual practice. The quiet and the slowing down don’t just happen… I need to consciously make the decision to focus on the present and leave the rest behind. Thank you so much for this, Kaitlyn!
I love that you found peace in your moments Kaitlyn. It sounds like you really discovered the beauty of presence. I delight in this with you. Great writing! Cheering you on from the #RaRalinkup on Purposeful Faith.
Kaitlyn, I’m reading “Bread and Wine” and loving it! I’m excited to read “Savor” now! Lately I haven’t been looking at FaceBook etc as much. You are right we need to savor the quiet. I think of how in Scripture we hear “Be still and know that I am God.” We need to just be still!!
Savoring moments has been the theme the Lord has been impressing upon my heart for a few months now.
I had a taste of that total quiet last summer when we stayed in a cabin with no internet or phones. We spent seven glorious days on the lake, boating, fishing, enjoying family and our beautiful surroundings. At first I was “concerned” that I couldn’t check Facebook or Twitter, but then after the first day I discovered how freeing it was not to even bother with social media or the outside world for that matter. I didn’t even know what was going on in the news and that was fine by me.
And then, of course, we came back home, and I fell back into my old patterns. Your post has reminded me that I don’t have to be staying on a lake in a cabin to experience quiet and to listen for the still small voice of God.
Thank you for sharing!
Yes, yes, this! Thank you. This post is a gift- to hear it coming from you busy lady is a breath of fresh air and one that He is working into me also. I’m slow to learn it but He’s not letting me get away from it either. Love your printable quote too Kaitlyn. Glad to be neighbors at the #RaRaLinkup today.
Looks good!! I’m feeling a strong tug towards obscurity lately… This would be a good embellishment to encourage this…
I want to both devour and savor every one of Shauna’s words… I can’t wait to get this book in my house! And yes… we have talked… I know well this pull towards silence… towards quiet… towards stillness. I don’t know why I still fight it, for every single time, I find Him there! Love you friend! Adding this post to TTIDN for the weekend! xoxo
It really is such a beautiful book. I’m about to start another of hers! And thank you(!) for sharing!