I have been brought to a season of quiet.
This type of quiet spirit is coveted in believers, and it is interesting to observe. My mother talks about it all the time, as she recognizes her own lack of it. When we do not have a quiet spirit it torments us.
We project that torment onto others, too.
What is a quiet spirit? Is it serene? Is it smiling? Is it at rest?
I’ve come to the conclusion that it is having no expectations, no striving, no malice toward others. As I grieve my own losses I am aware that my spirit can still be quiet. My countenance has nothing to do with my spirit, yet it reveals the pain of suffering.
In acceptance lies peace. (Hannah Hurnard)
When we accept God’s lot for us we have peace—-quiet.
When we stand on the promises in God’s Word we come to a place of quiet.
Last fall in one of my classes my professor probed me about my hopes and dreams. He is one of those scholars who puts much stock in the touchy/feely/relational sort of teaching. I looked at him through the computer camera and wept. I could honestly say that all my dreams were gone, that my only hope was in Jesus.
Do you know what it is like to lose all your dreams?
I do.
It is a place of quiet.
Elisabeth Elliot had a phrase, “Do the next thing.”
That ran through my mind the very day my cell phone rang with the New Hampshire Officer telling me that my husband had passed away on the Appalachian Trail. “Do the next thing.” In shock, I did that.
Even now, as I remember that horrific moment, I felt a peace and quiet in my heart that only comes from Christ.
I’ll confess that I was still hopeful that the Lord would just bring my husband back to life miraculously. I do believe in the supernatural. Coping mechanism? Why not?
The Holy Spirit is a presence in my life, and He is the reason I could “calmly” do the next thing. I take no credit. My spirit did not factor in.
A quiet spirit only comes from God. When you are seeking a quiet spirit you cannot look within yourself. You are unable to manufacture one. How can quiet come from within your sinful self? The Buddhists strive for Nirvana, but it is all just an illusion.
Reality is peace in Christ alone.
In the grasping for inner peace humans try all sorts of fake solutions.
There is only one true solution: Jesus Christ.
As Jesus says: the way is narrow and few find it.
Are you on the way?