…let your adorning be the hidden person of the heart with the imperishable beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which in God’s sight is very precious. (I Peter 3:4)
Paul also urged prayer “that we may lead a peaceful and quiet life, godly and dignified in every way. This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior…” (I Timothy 2:2-3).
What is a quiet life? If it pleases God, let’s seek that out and work toward having one!
The idea behind the words here is tranquil, defined by Webster’s as “free from agitation of mind or spirit…disturbance or turmoil.” Murray Harris noted on the word quiet in 1 Peter 3:4 — “a spirit which calmly bears the disturbances created by others and which itself does not create disturbances” (The New International Dictionary of New Testament Theology, 3:112).
When you look at your life, do you see quiet or turmoil? Are you handling the chaos around you calmly or creating even more? Many things make a difference on that, but let’s look at just a few.
- First taking the time and making the effort to quiet your heart as you rest in the God Who is Enough and lean on His understanding (Proverbs 3:5-6) will set the right tone in every other area.
- Doing a quick check of your schedule and workload to see what may be hurting your health will help also. The recent book Refresh does a great job of walking you through that process.
- I Thessalonians 4:11 brings in the concept of minding our own work to the need to live quietly. Would a focus on our own responsibilities, while letting go of what isn’t our concern, help with getting rid of some agitation? It is so easy to be distracted, but the cost is high.
Proverbs 31:27 also contrasts idleness with looking well to the ways of the household. Working when we should, at the right time, helps with keeping things on track and calm. - A calendar that you manage well will help a lot with a quiet day. Staying on task and doing what needs to be done will give you quiet progress. Not knowing what all should be done and always reacting to anything that happens by will create turmoil and overload your mind as you keep trying to keep up in the dark.
What have you found helpful as you quiet your heart and home?
