Today is Day Twenty-Nine of 31 Days of Encountering God! If you missed the kick-off, you can go HERE and find the Introduction as well as each days post! (I will be adding every day as the month goes on!)
Encountering God in the midst of All the Noise...
Here we are - Day 29... you have made it nearly the whole month long with me here!
There are literally over 1500 bloggers who are linked up over at TheNester's - writing crazy - each and every day - throughout October. That is more information, more voices, more noise - sounding off all over the lovely internet all month long! There are many things - good and not so good - vying for your attention and I don't know about you, but I know for me? It's not the 'bad' that tempt me... it's just that there is so much GREAT out there, whispering my name!
So many kindred writers that I want to read... online and in stacks (and stacks) around my home... waiting for me to give them moments of quiet, so their lovely noise can fill my head and my heart. There is worship and new songs and lyrics that pierce my heart and there are stories - real life - of family and friends and neighbors that I want to hear. There is so much good... that needs to be listened to!
There is the noise inside our head... the negative self talk and all the What If's and If Only's... the constant replay of what we did wrong, what we could have done better, or what we should be doing now - or at least tomorrow...
And then there is the constant culture sound... the tv, radio, traffic, phones and notifications and timers going off for All. the. Days. It can be exhausting. Our ears get used to the loudness and we learn to tune things out... to numb the decibals from actually penetrating and interrupting, but it takes WORK to stay silent in our day and age. And if we manage to escape and find silence - it doesn't necessarily mean we find Quiet!
One of my favorite places ever and always, is to walk along a shoreline... to be at the beach and feel sand shifting beneath my toes... to tune in to the sound of the surf rolling in and pushing out and how the lovely roar of the sea can make everything sound silent. It doesn't take long until I feel myself exhale. I didn't even know I was holding my breath in deep, and keeping my shoulders up high... I need a little sea air to remind me to exhale fully, to unwind and relax... to slow down and get beyond all the listening, and let the silence work its' way around, so that I am able to really HEAR once again!
Can I invite you to lean in? Tune out all the distractions, for just a moment... and listen to a secret:
As much as I love the beach... I have found that if I but turn my attention to Him, lean back, close my eyes, and breathe in deep and slowly... hold my breath for just a moment and then just Let. It. All. Go. Push out all the air... fully exhale... and then repeat. I find - no matter the noise level around me... I only need to do this a couple of times before I become acutely aware of His Presence! He is here. Right here... waiting for me to notice!
When I turn my thoughts and devotion toward Him - I find that in the center of chaos...
there is always Calm available.
Now - doesn't that sound nice? Lean back, go ahead... it only takes a few moments to find yourself tuned back into the Voice of the One who matters most - and when we hear Him clearly - all the other Noise becomes background... you will find you can tap into Quiet, anywhere you are!
Now - I can't promise you that it will last... after all - this is real life here, but it will bring an Encounter that refreshes and revives and restores Peace - even in the midst of all the noise!
Here we are - Day 29... you have made it nearly the whole month long with me here!
There are literally over 1500 bloggers who are linked up over at TheNester's - writing crazy - each and every day - throughout October. That is more information, more voices, more noise - sounding off all over the lovely internet all month long! There are many things - good and not so good - vying for your attention and I don't know about you, but I know for me? It's not the 'bad' that tempt me... it's just that there is so much GREAT out there, whispering my name!
So many kindred writers that I want to read... online and in stacks (and stacks) around my home... waiting for me to give them moments of quiet, so their lovely noise can fill my head and my heart. There is worship and new songs and lyrics that pierce my heart and there are stories - real life - of family and friends and neighbors that I want to hear. There is so much good... that needs to be listened to!
There is the noise inside our head... the negative self talk and all the What If's and If Only's... the constant replay of what we did wrong, what we could have done better, or what we should be doing now - or at least tomorrow...
And then there is the constant culture sound... the tv, radio, traffic, phones and notifications and timers going off for All. the. Days. It can be exhausting. Our ears get used to the loudness and we learn to tune things out... to numb the decibals from actually penetrating and interrupting, but it takes WORK to stay silent in our day and age. And if we manage to escape and find silence - it doesn't necessarily mean we find Quiet!
One of my favorite places ever and always, is to walk along a shoreline... to be at the beach and feel sand shifting beneath my toes... to tune in to the sound of the surf rolling in and pushing out and how the lovely roar of the sea can make everything sound silent. It doesn't take long until I feel myself exhale. I didn't even know I was holding my breath in deep, and keeping my shoulders up high... I need a little sea air to remind me to exhale fully, to unwind and relax... to slow down and get beyond all the listening, and let the silence work its' way around, so that I am able to really HEAR once again!
Can I invite you to lean in? Tune out all the distractions, for just a moment... and listen to a secret:
As much as I love the beach... I have found that if I but turn my attention to Him, lean back, close my eyes, and breathe in deep and slowly... hold my breath for just a moment and then just Let. It. All. Go. Push out all the air... fully exhale... and then repeat. I find - no matter the noise level around me... I only need to do this a couple of times before I become acutely aware of His Presence! He is here. Right here... waiting for me to notice!
When I turn my thoughts and devotion toward Him - I find that in the center of chaos...
there is always Calm available.
Now - doesn't that sound nice? Lean back, go ahead... it only takes a few moments to find yourself tuned back into the Voice of the One who matters most - and when we hear Him clearly - all the other Noise becomes background... you will find you can tap into Quiet, anywhere you are!
Now - I can't promise you that it will last... after all - this is real life here, but it will bring an Encounter that refreshes and revives and restores Peace - even in the midst of all the noise!
Tomorrow we'll talk about Encountering God in the Quiet!
I needed this reminder so much today. Things are whirling and it's a nonstop roller coaster. It's goodness - all good things and happy anticipation, but when I allow myself to get caught up in it, it just takes a moment for me to whirl off course. Thanks for this reminder sweet friend! One more day and a wake up until I see you!
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