Cultivating A Quiet Spirit

I Peter 3:3-4 "Do not let your adornment be merely outward—arranging the hair, wearing gold, or putting on fine apparel—rather let it be the hidden person of the heart, with the incorruptible beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is very precious in the sight of God."

Noise. It is all around us. Crying babies. Visual noise on our screens. Crowded schedules. Demanding people. The pressure to conform to others' standards. We feel pulled in every direction so often. Finding a moment of quiet is many times an impossible task, a luxury rarely enjoyed. I suggest we consider quietness a frame of mind, not merely a span of time.

Earlier today, my 5-year-old pulled open our glass sliding door, on a day a little too cool to need that draft. I asked him why he was doing that, and he innocently said, "I want to hear the birds." I think I melted into a puddle. He wasn't demanding quiet. In fact, he probably didn't even notice the bustle all around him. He wanted to hear the birds. He was in the frame of mind to listen, not regarding the din around him.

I have tried to make it a practice to sometimes tell the kids to stop and listen. I ask them what they hear. Attitudes change when we stop and listen to the world around us. This is really hard for small children to do, but we can try. We have to force ourselves into a mindset, stop our own mouths, and actively listen. Now this kind of external quiet is not always possible. Sometimes you can't turn the volume down.

What about that quiet spirit Peter was writing about? It is a frame of mind that remains gentle and serene even when everything and everyone around is clamoring and boisterous. It is a cultivated spirit, a garden in the middle of chaos, watered by God's Word and prayer and fellowship with other believers. It is a refreshment to all who are nearby, an oasis in a desert of worldly care and worry.

Who has planned every circumstance of my day? Do I have a right to resist Him, to let my spirit shout at Him in response to his sovereign blueprint for that moment? I am the worst culprit, letting my temper loose in moments of surprise and sudden disappointment. What if I just surrendered that [usually petty] moment, just whispered a prayer of thanks and moved on? What if instead of reacting to that child's behavior [again] I just murmured a short prayer that God would speak to Him and give me a calm response. This is not to excuse inaction on our part, but to suggest we sprinkle more prayer on those situations. Won't God hear and answer? What if I put my harried moments in the perspective of a week, a year, my lifetime, or eternity? Will I even remember or care about the broken dish or spilled glass or torn book? A quiet spirit thinks beyond today. It remembers God knows all things.

A quiet spirit is a spirit at rest. Its anchor is in the Unchangeable, so that when all around me is swirling and eddying in the tides of change, I can be confident I am safe. I can sleep peacefully and know Who holds my world together. Even when I have made my own storm, I can rest in forgiveness and security that God is there with me.

I Peter 5:10 "But may the God of all grace, who called us to His eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after you have suffered a while, perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle you."