It’s 6:30 a.m. and my alarm is beckoning me awake.
I blink and it’s 9:00 p.m. – I’m just arriving back home.
Homework, internship, a part-time job, and night classes fill my days, making every minute count.
And man, is it tiring. Every task needs my attention like a needy child.
Yet, it makes the silent moments even more holy.
As an extravert, I thrive off of working and socializing. I love school and both of my jobs. God has done some pretty beautiful things in those areas.
Each day is a small reveal of where He’s taking me. And as I look out at the horizon of my future, it fills me with excitement, peace, and joy.
But, I’m just a finite girl.
I thrive off of high stimulation, but sometimes it’s too much.
Yet, it’s a careful balance. The more tired I get from a demanding schedule, the more I yearn for silence. To drown myself in a chunk of nature: a trail, park, or patch of grass on campus.
But as I strive for more (whether it’s learning more, working more, or creating more), the more I need to sit in silence.
And when I say silence, I mean shutting up. No talking, no phone, no book, no company other than God’s.
Shutting yourself up in the peace and stillness of silence.
No Instagram or TikTok to give you a buzz.
As I’ve gone about my week trying to implement this, I’ve noticed that the little joys – a bird singing or laying in the grass – seem so much brighter. The contrast of the stillness in the midst of the busy brings such a deep fulfillment, even while reading Scripture.
As I was sitting by a pond reading my Bible today, I read a Proverb that really struck me.
“He assigned to the sea its limits,” (Proverbs 8:29).
“Huh,” I said audibly.
It is beautiful, but at first I didn’t fully comprehend why.
When I think about the sea, I think about how it goes on forever. Standing on a beach, the waters never seem to end. In the middle of the ocean, the sea seems endless.
God “assigned” the sea to have a limit. He has intentionally made his creation according to its kind for a reason. The sea’s duty or job is to end. And just like the sea ends, we do too.
We aren’t made to work without a rest.
Although my horizon with life is exciting, it has a limit. It will eventually end: the career, current life, relationships.
The true value of life does not merely lie in the fun work, it lies within God.
Although these things make life so much more fun, they shouldn’t be number one on the priority list.
Shutting up also allows us to truly sit with God. It reminds us of the truth of what is truly fulfilling and valuable - that our life is sustained from Him and for Him.
He makes it all worth it.
So if you’re anything like me and love filling your schedule to the max, remember to find some time to shut up.
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