Making Room for the Quiet

Anyone can love the beach, but I think it takes a special kind of soul to enjoy the rain on a quiet afternoon in the forest.

I love both.

There is something about the beach—the sound of the waves rolling onto the shore, the vastness of the ocean, the feeling of being reminded just how big our world is.

But if I'm being completely honest, I think I love the mountains even more.

Give me a mountain range covered in trees, a little cabin tucked away somewhere, a creek or river trickling nearby, and I'm a happy girl. There is something about the mountains and their forests that brings a kind of solace to my soul that is hard to put into words.

And, as you already know, music does that for me too.

I've been thinking a lot lately about all that has happened in these more recent years.

I'm at an age now where more and more people I've known—whether personally or simply through their music, movies, or the things they created—are passing away. It seems to be happening at a much faster rate than it once did.

This past week, Dolly Parton passed away, and for some reason, her death really struck a chord with me.

Maybe it's because Dolly seemed like someone who had lived so much life.

She accomplished so much—not only for herself and her family, but for friends, strangers, children, and people she would probably never meet. She touched more hearts during her lifetime than most people ever will.

Her work ethic was something I always admired. She kept working, creating, giving, dreaming, and making a difference. Even near the end of her life, she was still thinking about the future and the people who would be impacted by the work she had begun.

But Dolly also seemed to understand something else.

She knew how to enjoy life.

She knew how to appreciate the simple things.

The mountains of Tennessee. Music. Nature. Family. The beauty around her.

And maybe that's one of the things that has stayed with me most this week.

Life isn't just about what we accomplish.

It's also about what we take the time to notice.

The rustling of leaves.

The sound of rain falling.

The waves hitting the shoreline.

The trickling of water over rocks in a creek.

Birds singing their songs.

A crackling fireplace.

An outdoor fire pit roaring on a cool evening.

Even the distant roar of a bear from the comfort and safety of a cabin. 😂

Those sounds are music to me.

And when I'm sitting there with a cup of coffee, listening to the sounds of creation and reading God's Word, I can't help but think about how incredibly awesome our God is.

He made all of it.

Every tree.

Every mountain.

Every river.

Every bird.

Every sunrise and sunset.

Every sound that brings peace to our souls.

And there is something incredibly beautiful about sitting quietly enough to actually hear it.

I don't get to go to the mountains nearly as often as I'd like these days.

Nor do I get to the beach as often as I'd like.

Life has a way of sweeping you up into all the things that have to be done.

And life has changed quite a bit for me in recent years.

Our son is entering adulthood, and at the same time, my mom is entering a stage of life where she sometimes needs more help.

So while I've stepped out of one role, I'm stepping into another.

I'm still a wife.

I'm still a mother.

I'm still a homemaker.

And I'm learning to be a better manager of our home and our time.

There are things I'm keeping up with now that used to fall by the wayside simply because life was so much busier. For years, so much of my time was spent being the chauffeur for our son and getting him to all of his training sessions and activities.

Now that he can drive, some of that has slowed down.

But other things have taken its place.

In some ways, life has slowed down.

In other ways, it hasn't slowed down at all.

It's hard to explain unless you're living it.

But I'm sure some of you know exactly what I mean—especially those of you who are in this same season of life.

There is never a dull moment.

I've said that so many times, and it's still true.

But I'm learning that having a busy life doesn't mean I can't have quiet moments.

In fact, I think I need them more than ever.

So I'm making a more intentional effort to have some quiet in my day.

Every single day.

Not necessarily hours.

Sometimes it's only a few minutes.

But it's a few minutes where I stop.

I breathe.

I listen.

I pray.

I read God's Word.

And I simply let God be God.

Those moments have become precious to me.

God meets me there in a way that is hard to explain.

He speaks to my heart.

He reminds me of His goodness.

He brings things to my mind that I need to think about.

He gives me peace.

And sometimes He simply lets me sit there and enjoy being in His presence.

I've thought a lot this past week about the people who have gone on to be with Jesus—people who touched my life personally and people who touched my life through their music, their work, or their stories.

Their lives have reminded me that we really don't know how much time we have.

And that has made me think even more about how good God has been to me.

I've thought about it while sitting quietly.

I've thought about it while drinking my coffee.

I've thought about it while going about my everyday responsibilities.

I've thought about it during the prayers I pray when I first wake up and the conversations I continue having with God throughout the day.

Because I've come to realize something I absolutely love about our relationship with Him:

Our God is a conversational God.

He doesn't only want us to talk to Him when we're on our knees with our eyes closed.

He wants us to talk to Him as we walk through our days.

While we're driving.

While we're working.

While we're cooking dinner.

While we're sitting quietly with a cup of coffee.

While we're watching the rain.

While we're listening to the birds.

He wants to be part of our everyday lives.

And I love how He touches my heart in those conversations.

I have to admit, though, that I haven't always made as much time for those conversations as I wish I had.

Life gets busy.

I get distracted.

There is always something that needs to be done.

But lately, I've been intentionally changing that.

I'm making the time.

And I've noticed a difference.

My days feel brighter.

My heart feels more peaceful.

And something has reached down into the deepest parts of my soul in a way that I desperately needed.

Maybe that's what I've been learning through all of this.

We don't always need to escape our lives.

Sometimes we simply need to become still in the middle of them.

We need to stop long enough to hear the rain.

To listen to the birds.

To watch the trees move in the wind.

To hear the water running over the rocks.

To drink a cup of coffee without rushing.

To open God's Word.

To pray.

To breathe.

To remember who God is.

And to remember that He is still here.

So I want to encourage you to make a little room for quiet in your day.

It doesn't have to be elaborate.

You don't have to take a trip to the mountains or sit beside the ocean.

Maybe it's sitting on your porch while it rains.

Maybe it's drinking your morning coffee while watching the birds.

Maybe it's taking a walk and listening to the sounds around you.

Maybe it's sitting beside a fireplace at the end of a long day.

Maybe it's simply turning off the television, putting down your phone, and sitting quietly with God for a few minutes.

Whatever it looks like for you, make the time.

Be still.

Let your soul breathe.

Let God speak.

And just enjoy being with Him.

Because sometimes the most profound moments with God aren't found in the noise.

They're found in the quiet.