EP 05: Too Much Noise
Do you remember “back in the day” when your tv would mess up and it would look like snow and blast a VERY LOUD NOISE? It would be so annoying, I remember when it would happen and my dad would try to fix it but the loud white noise sound just made everybody mad!!!! It would make everyone mad because it interrupted what we were trying to watch.
Episode 5: Too much noise…
Noise! That is what this podcast is all about! Nowadays Tv’s obviously don’t do that but lets just take a time audit of the noise in your life. We all know the pretty obvious ones (children, spouse, people’s voices you live with, co workers, etc), noises in the kitchen when your cooking/ cleaning, noises from pets, music, radio, your phone dinging, calling, and notifications flying. Right now I am hearing my fingers hit the keys as I type, and I hear the tv my husbands watching in the background. NOISE, especially in the social media age is constant!Honestly, I am the type where if the house is quiet I immediately turn on worship music to have something in the background. It’s almost as if quiet feels too weird to keep around.Last week I got sick, strep throat, and I felt awful. I was in the bed most of the day but in between resting I would work on my computer or check my messages on my phone. My to do list was SO LONG, I had dishes in the sink (that literally was stinking up my kitchen), and unfortunately I had just heard of someone I know really well has some strong opinions about me. I felt tired, sick, and a little heart broken. I had worship music blaring and an hour and a half to get stuff done before the boys came home from school. My heart was burdened so I went outside and sat in my swing on my back porch, put my phone on silent and started praying. A few minutes later, I checked my phone thinking I was out praying for at least 15 minutes, NOPE- it was 6. What! It was so weird. And it hit me! I am not used to sitting in the quiet doing “nothing.” And when I say doing nothing, I mean not even checking social media, or watching my instagram feed. I mean NOTHING, just sitting.I felt God whisper, “the white noise in your life is drowning out mine.” I teared up a little because I knew it was true. The negative opinions of others, my to do list, the constant dings of my phone was starting to dictate my emotions. I felt hurt and burdened because I was allowing so much noise to interrupt my time with the Lord where I just sit quiet to listen for HIS voice. I couldn’t remember the last time I sat quiet with the Lord (not reading my Bible or even praying) but just sitting.It took a few minutes to clear my mind but I finally got to the point where I could hear the leaves moving in the trees, the birds, and the pitter patter of my dog. I watched the clouds take different shape, and I just SAT and marveled of how loved I was by my creator. Everybody’s opinion of me, my dishes, laundry, and work to do list faded in the background and God’s voice took center stage. I felt Him near that day, and it felt like pure peace, and a little hard to describe. I can’t tell you the last time where my mind wasn’t cluttered with noise or ideas, and where everything felt calm. I looked down at my phone and noticed I missed lots of texts and emails but I didn’t even care, I was almost sad I had to get up and get ready to get the boys. I didn’t want my quiet time with my creator to end. As I was getting in my car, I felt so much JOY and peace in my heart and in my MIND. And it was in the moment that I realized that God has been trying to draw me close for a while so I could feel His Peace but I couldn’t hear Him, the white noise was interrupting His true will for my life, and that is to have a closer relationship with Him.
I also realized that my time outside on my porch swing had a powerful impact because His voice was louder then someone elses’ opinion of me. You know me, I am a people pleaser but on this day I depended on the Lord’s voice to help me overcome and drown out the wrong voice.I don’t know what you are going through in your life right now, I don’t know what noises are around you. But I just want to challenge you to take some time this week (maybe even a short time everyday) to turn everything off (hide in a closet if you have to), and just sit. Ask the Lord to help you quiet your mind and heart to where you can feel and hear Him close. He will honor that. Yall! Life is hard but life also goes by fast and I don’t know about you but I don’t think we will be on our death beds glad we allowed other’s negativity to affect our attitude, or that we spent our time killing ourselves to get our housework done, or that we climbed so high in our careers but felt empty and alone. I can guarantee you that when we are on our death bed we will be glad we took the time to feel God close, and allowed His voice to overcome the white noise, that we felt God’s peace and joy in hard circumstances because we were disciplined enough to be quiet!This may sound great, but ladies this is not going to be easy, DON’T push this off the way I push off washing my hair (THANK YOU DRY SHAMPOO). Your soul needs refreshed, your heart needs encouraged and I can’t think of a better person then the one who BEAUTIFULLY DESIGNED YOU!Here is what I love about our God, this week as I suffered from strep throat, had to take time to rest more, my husband traveled all week (so I had to do ALL the things), I got MORE done this week then any other week. I truly believe it’s because my soul, heart, and mind was focused on what mattered most.I know you're busy, I know you're probably tired so why don’t you open up the only truth there is, God’s Word, and allow His Word to refuel you.
For I will satisfy the weary soul, and every languishing soul I will replenish.” Jeremiah 31:25
This is a promise from God!I love you ladies and I am praying that the white noise fades in the background this week as you take time to Hear his still small voice.
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