The Art of Quietness

Have you noticed since CoVid hit we’ve all had the opportunity to learn a new art?

The Art of Quietness…

But have we really taken the opportunity to do this?

Before we can answer that let’s get comfy with our cuppa’s & treats.

I’m having my daily cup of coffee, which is said to be good for our overall health, accompanied by a toasted slice of gf Almond, Apricot & Coconut loaf. Delicious!

Today’s post is the third in our series on dealing with Anxiety.

Patience in Quietness

Have you noticed that as human’s we are an extremely impatient lot!

Last week we reflected upon the positive effects aging can have upon our Anxious Thoughts

And I agree with these research findings to a certain extent.

But there are times when I find myself getting impatient & anxious in pursuing quietness!

I know that sounds such a contradiction in terms ‘impatient & anxious in quietness‘!

So let me define the type of quietness I’m talking about here.

The quietness I’m focusing upon is the quietness of the soul.

That quietness of spirit that comes from a soul assured that God is in control, no matter what comes.

That undisturbed state of mind & confident trust in God for a situation’s outcome.

My prayer

For decades my prayer has been to come to that place in God.

That place of being able to sit in His immovable peace & quietness, no matter what comes my way.

And I don’t mean in a disassociative way but rather being able to be confident in a non anxious & undisturbed peace of mind.

Knowing that my heavenly Father has the situation in His capable hands & there is absolutely no need to be concerned.

My lovely hubby grimaced when I shared this desire & prayer with him years ago.

Because being opposite in temperament to me, as shared in New Delhi & Chai tea…, he could see that I would be sent many opportunities for this prayer to be answered.

“No pressure, no diamonds.” — Mary Case

And he was right!

You see my friend, God’s peace & assurance is always available to us, especially to those that love Him.

However, we actually have to allow God’s peace & assurance in, in each & every situation that is presented to us.

The Perfect Gentleman

For Jesus is the perfect gentleman He won’t force His peace & assurance upon us.

In other words we need to make a choice; either to give in to anxious imagings or hand those concerns over to our Heavenly Father through Jesus, trusting Him for the outcome.

Over the last few weeks we have reflected on how we do this…

And reiterated that its coming to our Heavenly Father in prayer first & foremost, before our concerns morph into anxiety.

Entering the prayer chamber

However, we also found that anxiety can sneak up on us before we realise it, causing our peace of mind to be totally disturbed.

And when in that mindset of anxious & racing thoughts it can be really difficult to quieten ourselves enough to pray.

So we need some practical strategies…

I find the following strategies work for me, they may be helpful for you too.

Daytime strategies,

I go for a walk in nature, there’s something about God’s creation that really calms anxious thoughts & before I know it I find myself chatting to God as I walk.

Or if weather doesn’t permit a walk…

I grab a cuppa, treat & my journal then sit & write out my thoughts. And before I realise it my thoughts have turned to prayer.

Night time strategies,

If my anxious thoughts have me tossing & turning in bed, I get up.

I then either read for a little while which distracts my mind long enough to be able to then bring my concerns to God in prayer.

Or

I journal out my thoughts which is really a type of prayer because I always address them to the Lord.

Being able to write out our concern & pray brings a wonderful clarity & quietness to the soul.

And is such a practical way to be able to see God working in our life & the lives of our loved ones as our concerns are addressed.

It also helps our impatience to see that God is actually working to answer our prayers ever so patiently.

I’d love to hear some of your strategies my dear friend. You’re most welcome to share.

Until next time,

Jennifer

You’re most welcome to join me in The Reading Nook

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