I have always needed a certain amount of peace and quiet to be able to think and sort out my life. Being the youngest, a girl, with three older brothers, usually meant that everywhere in the house was noisy, busy and at times hostile to the female mindset.
One of my favorite haunts as a teenager was the cemetery down the street. Although some might consider that odd it had several good points. I could get there on my bike. I could bring books and sit on the tombstones and read. I didn’t worry about people bothering me or interrupting me. My parents had always taught me that the bodies buried there did not hold the souls so the usual reasons for avoiding cemeteries did not seem to apply to me.
Another of my favorite places growing up was my grandparent’s house. We usually visited them for a week in the summertime. So I would awaken to a new day with fresh air blowing in from outdoors, the sun shining, and anticipation for fun. I always found their home to be a haven for me. A place my mother had grown up. A place prayer was part of every breakfast. It was a place where love and acceptance permeated every wall, floor and ceiling. It was a place I could think, a place that felt safe.
These days I find quiet places somewhat hard to find. My home is a place filled with responsibilities and chores vying for my attention. I spend my days at work and my nights promising myself I will do one chore before bedtime. So when I find myself unexpectedly waiting with nothing I can do, those are the times when I have quiet.
These places range from the doctor’s office to just parked somewhere waiting. Sometimes I am in a store and once I was locked out of my car and my office waiting on a locksmith. I try to always have paper and pen to write down thoughts that come to me. It is in those moments when my life comes abruptly to a halt that God speaks to me.
Jesus got up and went to a secluded place to pray. And Jesus asks us to find a quiet secluded place to pray.
Mark 1:35 While it was still night, way before dawn, he got up and went out to a secluded spot and prayed.
Matthew 6:6 “Here’s what I want you to do: Find a quiet, secluded place so you won’t be tempted to role-play before God. Just be there as simply and honestly as you can manage. The focus will shift from you to God, and you will begin to sense his grace.
Where do you feel safe, quiet, and peaceful? Where can you stop and think? Where do you go when you need to hear God?
