Tag: quiet time

Finding the Balance (Video plus text)

The link below is about finding the balance between your to-do list and quiet time. Or you can just read the text of the video below.

See the video here. 

Hey everyone, the last couple of weeks on TalkingAmongFriends.com, I did a post on “Time’s a Wastin'”, about how I don’t like frittering the day away, having a drift day. And then the next post was “The Silence was Deafening”, where there could be so much noise in the world, that when silence happens it’s something you need to pay attention to. I referred back to my days in broadcasting, where at the radio station you always had the radio on in the background. But you could ignore it go about your day. You know, the phones are ringing and people were talking, whatever. But if the radio station went off the air for any reason, it’s like you heard that the silence was deafening. It was the only way I really understood that expression.

So now, last couple days I’ve been kind of buried under a to-do list of things to do. And sometimes when I get so busy or get so overwhelmed with things to do, I kind of freeze up and I don’t want to do that. That could lead to the “Times a-Wastin;” days.

What I’d like to do is: if I have a to do list is to attack it. Get things done and you always feel better. But sometimes you do need to stop and only stop for a brief time and have that moment of silence. Have that moment of quiet to where you can just breathe. Take a deep breath and soak things in. Have a little prayer time, meditation, whatever floats your boat. For me, it’s prayer time. And in a way that can refresh your soul.

Just stop, breathe, get refreshed, and then tackle that to do list. So, there’s always a balance between your to do list and a quiet time, and between wasting time, and just taking a pause to find refreshment. And, you know, sometimes I’m not a very good tightrope walker. It’s hard to find the balance. But it’s something we can always strive for, right?

So, here’s to quality quiet time and attacking that to do list. And I hope you can find the balance.

Take care. We’ll see you next time.

The Silence Is Deafening

Back in my younger days, I worked in radio broadcasting. In my office, the radio station was always playing in the background. No matter what we were doing, we always had one ear tuned in. So, even with the radio playing, phones ringing and conversations in the office, you know what the loudest sound was? You guessed it: silence.

If the radio station went off the air, everything stopped.  You had to pay attention to what was wrong. That silence was deafening. I finally understood what this phrase meant.

In today’s world, there’s a lot of noise… a lot! It’s rarely quiet with television, radio, social media, responsibilities from work and home. There doesn’t seem to be much silence.

Noise can be distracting. Recently, a friend of mind was counseling her son, who did not get a job he had applied for. He has applied for several jobs, and this particular one wasn’t his top choice. But he was still disappointed. His mom gave him good advice. She asked him if this was the job he really wanted, and he confirmed that it wasn’t his top choice. Then she reminded him that this was just noise. Yes, he probably was looking for validation by being accepted for a position, even though it wasn’t his first choice. But her advice was right one. It was just noise. He needed to put it aside and keep focused on his future goal.

This makes me wonder how many times I let noise get in the way and distract me from doing what I need to do.

I believe in having quiet time in the morning, where I do a daily devotional, but I know once I get going on my day, I’m really, really good at getting distracted. I fight the noise of procrastination, of worry, and sometimes even laziness.

Last fall, I wrote a post about taking four minutes a day for quiet time. You can read it here. https://talkingamongfriends.com/2019/10/03/do-you-have-four-minutes/.  It’s something I probably need to go back to when the noises get deafening, instead of the quiet. I need to pay attention to what’s most important.

By taking the time to silence the noise, you may not find all the answers. But you might find a little peace, a little less distraction, and perhaps a little more focus. Maybe it’s time to enjoy the deafening silence.

 

Do You Have Four Minutes?

Right now seems to be a season of flux for me. It looks like some changes are coming. For one, I’m taking a break right now from working on any novels. I am still writing daily using a writing prompt, and I hope to work on this blog a little more. But I will need to make some decisions about what direction I want to go with my career soon.

As a Christian, I want to follow God’s path for my life. I want to  use the gifts He’s given me for His good, not mine. Most of the time, I feel like I just need to get out of the way and quit overthinking everything.  There are some very simple mantras that stick in my head, like “Do the Work.” Or “Take Action.” Both of those are great and exactly what I need to do. But when you’re lost on which direction to go, it’s easy to just stop. And that doesn’t feel right either.

Sometimes, though, it’s okay to stop. Take a break. Just breathe for a moment. And that’s where the title of this blog comes in: Do you have four minutes?

Recently at church, one of our teaching pastors, Ryan Leak (@ryanleak), talked about our prayer life. In this fast-paced world, we’re not always stopping to pray, and most certainly aren’t taking time out for quiet time with the Lord. We all know the passage in Psalm 46 that says “Be Still and know that I am God.” Yet most of us aren’t still. So, Ryan suggested an experiment. For four minutes, you sit still. Set a timer (because yes, it feels strange at first). But quiet yourself. You can start out praying, but God knows our hearts. He hears from us enough, but do we take time to hear from Him? So be still, for four minutes. And absorb the silence.

Now, you may not hear the booming voice of God. You may not hear anything. The answers may not come, but for four minutes, you focus on God. You quiet your heart. Maybe you find peace.

As I’m struggling in this season where I’m purposely taking a break, I’m going to try to be still for four minutes a day. Will I find the answers I need? Will my path suddenly appear before me? I don’t know. But I do know that for four minutes a day, I will revel in the quiet. I will settle my racing thoughts. I will have a peaceful moment. Maybe the answers will come, maybe they won’t. But I do know they certainly won’t come unless I stop long enough to listen. I’m setting aside four minutes a day to listen.

What about you? Do you have four minutes?