A Slow & Quiet Life

Hello darlings!

With everyone basically being forced to stay home for a while, I think one lesson that many will take away from this experience is to slow down!

Our culture today is very much focused on being busy, productive, accomplishing everything and just overall living a very fast paced life.
Many people are starting to wake up to this over time and realizing that they just can't do it anymore.

For me personally, I don't have a very busy schedule or a demanding job. I am just a teen living at home, studying at home and writing this blog.
But even I have been caught up in crossing off all the things on my to do list and getting things done.
I actually went through a season not long ago where this mindset of always having to be doing something kept me from being still and spending time sitting in God's presence.

It is not a healthy way to live, nor is it biblical.

Even God Himself rested after He created everything (Genesis 2:2-3). This was an example for us to follow because He knows that we need rest from our work.

Matthew 11:28-30 tells us to turn to Christ when we are weary and burdened and He will give us rest, that His yoke is easy and His burden is light.

"Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls."

Matthew 11:29

His burden is light because He does not leave us to carry it.
If we are willing and lay the burden of our busy life at His feet, He will carry it and we will be at rest.


So surrendering our schedules to Him is the first step but how do we live slower, quieter lives in the midst of the mile-long to do list?

Dwell in His presence
By spending time in God's Word early in the day, you are allowing yourself to have some quiet moments before the day starts and you are filling up with His love & grace which are vital to surviving each day.
You will be better equipped to deal with challenges and blessings that come along your way throughout the day. You will be able to handle things with grace.
I usually find my days go much better when I have taken the time to read the Bible in the morning.


Limit Social Media
I don't know about you, but I find that often spending any extended amount of time doesn't leave me feeling at peace or restful.
It usually leads to some discontentment or restlessness.
So in the pursuit of a slower, quieter life I think limiting time spent on social media is a wise step to take and I speak to myself here also!


Surrender to the Lord
This is probably one the most important step on this list. If you feel weighed down by everything, the best and first thing to do is to surrender it all to the Lord.
Just tell Him what is on your mind, all of the things you feel you should be doing and leave knowing He hears you and He will give you peace that passes understanding.


Declutter & Simplify Your Space
Decluttering is almost the 'trend' at the moment. I have seen countless 'declutter with me' videos on YouTube and I enjoy watching them. I also find them motivating to start decluttering my own space.
It is quite freeing to get rid of unnecessary items in your home or bedroom and create a simpler space to live in.
Decluttering my physical surroundings often clears some head space and leaves me feeling refreshed.


Do Something You Enjoy Outside of Working
Do something creative that you enjoy or pick up a new creative hobby! I personally enjoy painting, knitting, photography, reading, and more recently art journaling/scrapbooking.
Whatever it is that you enjoy, do it more often and have fun with it!


Notice Everything & Delight in the Lord
Something I learnt in my quiet time recently is that part of delighting in the Lord is delighting in all of the blessings He gives us.

"All through the day, every good thing that gives us pleasure should be an instance of delighting in God." (John Piper, How Do I Delight Myself in the Lord?)

"Notice everything. The way the snow falls. The way the light comes through the curtains. The way your morning coffee smells. The way the wind blows. Notice everything." (Kaetlyn Anne, Winter Rest, Roots, and Reflections)



I chose to place some spiritual things on this list because I believe it is an important part in all of this but I also included some practical steps on this list because our physical surroundings often influence our mind and feelings.

For some further reading, I suggest this blog post from Calico + Twine.

Let's stop and think about the way we are living and make the necessary changes to start living at a slower pace.


keep blooming,