If we want to slow down, rest, and hear from God, we have to be willing to separate ourselves from the noise. Even the noise inside our heads.
There’s something beautiful about summer blooms and crisp, cool air. Illinois' Windy City has reminded me of that this week.
Attending the Author Conservatory’s first graduation in conjunction with Write to Publish has been a quieter start than usual. Fewer pitches, but more one-on-one conversations. Less chaos, and more presence. I always anticipated that peace would come from the mountains. Perhaps it actually begins wherever we’re willing to find joy in simplicity.
I’ve known for a long time that my life has needed a reset. Living at a chaotic and unpredictable pace isn’t sustainable—at least not long-term. Rest has been calling my name for nearly a decade. Wouldn’t you think it’s time I start listening?
Our culture ignores the Sabbath. I’m still learning to understand what it is and what it means to me. Something tells me it starts with simplicity. Going back to creation. Tracing back to the beginning. Finding roots in the mud beneath our feet and our ancestors who’ve gone before us.
If we’re willing, finding joy is less about what we’re doing and more about who we are in the waiting. Finding joy is less about the adventures we long for and more about the journeys being birthed within us. That is the journey.
In my moments of solitude at this conference, an abundance of cicadas blessed me with their presence. And by that, I mean that I heard them wherever I went. The air seemed to buzz with an eerie and ever-present gong. Ears couldn’t escape their presence no matter how hard they tried.
If we desire to hear more of God, we have to be willing to find joy in the simplicity. We also have to be willing to go where the cicadas are not. Let me explain:
Cicadas love trees and warmth. The further I walked away from lush pastures and green grasses, the more I could hear other things—the birds chirping, people talking, a clock tower chiming. The closer I came in proximity to the trees and bushes, the heavier the noise would grow.
If we want to slow down, rest, and hear from God, we have to be willing to separate ourselves from the noise. Even the noise inside our heads.
Can You Separate Yourself from the Noise?
A lot of people struggle to Sabbath or rest because they struggle to separate themselves from the noise. Their ability to remove busy from their lives is the most difficult equation they’ve ever sought to solve—myself included. I’ve yet to find all or even 3/4th of the answers. What I have learned is this:
Being quiet terrifies me, but being still is one of the only ways I can begin to hear His voice.
Not having a schedule to follow gives me anxiety, but when I let myself loose and embrace freedom, deep peace is found.
Releasing an unknown future to a known God requires me to swallow my pride and fears. Even those I dare admit to myself.
But on the other side of quiet, spontaneity and unknowingness are perhaps everything we’ve been looking for all along. The simplicity of life. Separated from the noise.
Even Jesus got away from the noise:
"But now even more the report about him went abroad, and great crowds gathered to hear him and to be healed of their infirmities. But he would withdraw to desolate places and pray" (Luke 5:15-16, ESV, emphasis added).
Steps to Implement Simplicity
I haven’t mastered this art of sacredness. I’ve barely skimmed the surface. Readjusting and reorienting your life are big changes that won’t happen overnight. But you can find joy in simplicity one practice, breath, and step at a time.
Take a walk with your pet and ditch the phone.
Eat a meal and strike up a conversation with someone new.
Go on a prayer journey, and spend thirty minutes walking and talking to God.
Stare out your window and watch the birds as they soar.
Bend down to the ground and watch ants as they toil and labor.
Lay in a field of grass and stare at the clouds in the sky.
It’s going to feel uncomfortable. If you’re addicted to productivity and have high-functioning anxiety like me, doing these things will put thoughts in your mind. Unpleasant and untrue thoughts you might believe as facts.
I’m being lazy.
I’m wasting time.
I’m not being productive.
The sooner you learn to conquer these thoughts, the wider your horizons. The possibilities and opportunities to achieve simplicity in your life are limitless if you make time and space to encounter them.
What matters is that you’re being intentional and in the moment. You’re more preoccupied with life itself than trying to squeeze every ounce of productivity, busyness, and adventure out of it. You’re content where you are, seeking out what God might be speaking to you in the simplicity of life’s everyday moments.
1 Timothy 6:6-7 says it this way: “But godliness with contentment is great gain, for we brought nothing into the world, and we cannot take anything out of the world.”
What are the single steps you can take to embrace simplicity? Where is simplicity found in your everyday life?
Breaths.
Inhales.
Exhales.
Walks.
Nature.
Earth.
Sky.
The Word.
The Holy Spirit.
Family.
Friends.
Pets.
A baby's smile.
Presence beyond screens and filters.
Peace in the mysteries of the unknown.
And finding rest there.
Not because you have all the answers, but because you’ve embraced not having them. You’ve welcomed them with open arms. It’ll probably still give you anxiety. It’ll probably still be done in fear.
Do it anyway.
Release control.
Look around you.
Joy exists in the mundane, slower, ordinary moments of life. It also exists in the chaotic, fast, and extraordinary highlights. Life is all about navigating both. The in-between. The simplicity and magnitude of what Christ created, and our purpose here on Earth until we see Him again. Learning to see Christ all around us, and allowing others to see Christ within us, too.
"Once, on being asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, Jesus replied, “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst (within you)” (Luke 17:20-21, NIV, emphasis added).
A Prayer for Simplicity
Let's pray:
Heavenly Father, thank you that you bless us with joy every day. Even if we don't notice it, there's beauty in the small parts of life. From the mountains you created to the minuscule grains of sand on the seashore, help us to appreciate slowing down and embracing what surrounds us. Though incorporating this practice can be challenging, embracing rest and Sabbath are part of your design. We love, praise, and thank you, Jesus. Amen.
Agape, Amber
Photo Credit: ©Unsplash/Ray Hennessy
