Cultivating Quiet
By Alisha Renee
Connection with the Father is cultivated in quiet. Only when the demands of the day are silenced by a deliberate choice to move them aside can our hearts lean in to listen. This isn’t about box-ticking or creating some kind of religious ritual; it’s about focusing the intent of our heart by choosing to listen to our Father’s voice.
For me, His voice is heard as thoughts that redirect my mind, my heart, and my soul. It is like a knowing, deep inside, that contains a wisdom I recognise as not being my own. We can cultivate quiet anywhere.
One morning, I was in the bathroom readying myself for the day. My thoughts were consumed with the global pandemic of Covid-19 sweeping across every nation at an alarming rate. I was feeling overwhelmed that, as a teacher, I was now required to make the shift to online learning for my students, while at the same time preparing to hand over my class to their new teacher, who was stuck in a nationwide lock down in the North Island. The uncertainty and unknown was weighing me down—all while washing my face!
In the middle of my swirling thoughts, I noticed the birds chirping outside my window. I paused to listen. A familiar whisper came, ‘Look at the birds, Alisha.’ And with those words, a verse echoed throughout the chambers of my heart.
Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they?
Matthew 6:26 (NIV)
These beautiful birds were completely unaware of the chaos of the corona virus affecting every person on our planet. They were simply being who their Creator made them to be—song-bearers. The same today as any other day; trusting that their Creator will continue to take care of them, just like He always has.
I thought about my tiredness and my ‘to do’ list and decided to trade them for trust. In that moment, I decided that, like the birds, I will trust that my heavenly Father will take care of me. I will continue to sing the song He has placed in my heart, a song that speaks of His goodness and love, today just like any other day.
I wasn’t seeking a revelation; I was straightening my hair! In the quiet, one thought from my Father’s heart to mine changed the course of my day, and of the days following. Look at the birds.
If I hadn’t paused and stilled my heart to listen, I may have missed this precious moment that anchored my soul again. Something I so desperately needed and didn’t even realise.
PROMPT: Find a moment and choose quiet. If you’ve got something weighing you down, share it with Him. If there’s a question bothering you, ask Him… then listen. Journal the thoughts that come to mind during this moment of quiet.
