a week late’s better than never, right?

This week’s word: quiet.

It’s in the quiet I hear him most.

On the sabbath days where I choose to say no to my to-do list, and yes to rest.

On the days I forget my headphones (or lose them, whoops), and walk in the midst of the world He’s made instead of the world I create.

In the quiet, my ears are tuned out to the voices in my head, and tuned in to the words He needs me to hear.

***

A couple weeks ago we had a massive (for Nashville!) snowfall that basically shut the city (and my school) down for a few days. By day, it was fun to play in and enjoy, laughter and chaos abounding.

By night, everyone was warmly tucked into their dorms, snow still falling lightly. The snow calms the rest of the usual noises down and creates a quiet, peaceful hum in the air. And so, I bundled up and walked around campus, enjoying the quiet that is not so common on a college campus. I ended up on my dorm’s front porch, sitting in the silence, looking at the clear sky coated with stars. One star in particular was sparkling and flickering brightly. I fixated on it. Stars are one of my favorite things, but stars and snow? Breathtaking.

It was just what my soul needed: quiet. Enough quiet that I could hear him stirring, shifting things in me. The quiet made His words come through clear as day in my ear:

peace be with you.

No bible chapter or book number, no song or hymn. Just those words.

Peace be with you.

I knew they were not my words. They came straight out of nowhere. They were directly from Him, sent straight to where I needed them most.

In a season of chaos, unrest, and uncertainty, His words were a gift to my soul.

And I wouldn’t have heard them if I hadn’t had my world quieted.