Cultivating Calmness: Turn Down the Noise of Life

by September 14, 2015

There is something relaxing about the sound of God’s creation reacting to the ebbs and flows of nature. I enjoy the enchanting sound of birds chirping, rain falling on the roof and leaves as they rustle in the cool breeze of fall. Too often life seems to drowned out the simple sounds that God created. The noise of life bombards our lives and it takes major effort to lower the volume of life.

How do we turn down the volume of life when life does not slow down, shut down or stop? Here are a few simple ideas.

1. Limit electronics.

I know it sounds obvious, maybe a little old fashioned. But I am learning that my smart phone, ipad and other devices work hard to take my attention away from the most important things in my life. Take a look around at anytime and you will see the majority of people on an electronic device. While they are great and useful for many things, they also demand attention by notifications at all hours of the day and night. By having times when electronics are off limits, I am able to focus on the most important things in my life.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. Matthew 6:33(ESV)

2. Have quiet time.

Designate a time of day when the house is quiet. Everyone and everything should hush. No television, iPods, iPads, games, talking, music…nothing. Quiet. Although quiet time does not always end up completely silent in my house, it is a time of day that my family knows to slow down. This allows us to cultivate calmness in our home and rest in the stillness of silence.

Be still, and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth! Psalm 46:10(ESV)

3. Have dinner together.

Ball games, music practice, school activities, youth group, volunteer opportunities and church functions fill the calendar quickly and dinner can easily be compromised for other obligations. If you plan to have dinner as a family it can nurture the family unit and cultivate relationships that need unity. If activities are constantly pulling the family in different directions the volume of life will get loud and chaos will barge in and take over.

If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. I Corinthians 13:1(ESV)

Dinner time can be a great time to reconnect after a busy day and provide a safe place where the family feels accepted, loved and supported. Consider making a new rule of no electronics at the dinner table.

These might seem like simple steps to a calmer home, but it takes intentional effort to cultivate calmness in the home. The enemy wants the noise to be so loud that peaceful communication with each other at the dinner table is impossible. He wants to breed division and destruction so that the evening hours are filled with hectic schedules in different directions or divided agendas that tear families apart rather than bring them together.

Every family wants to be a strong unit. Somehow we forget the goal and allow simple things like noise to drowned out the purpose of what brought us together in the first place. If a little more quiet time and intentional family dinners sound appealing, join me as we learn to cultivate calmness together. If you could use some calmness in your chaos, please LIKE, SHARE and COMMENT so others can be encouraged too!

And be ready, as soon as you make strides in the right direction, the enemy will be lurking. Let’s resist Him together and take steps toward the giver of peace.

Draw near to God and He will draw near to you. James 4:8a(NASB)

I would love to hear how you cultivate calmness in your home. Share your ideas in the comments below.

Love & Blessings,

Micah

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  2. Hey Micah,

    Good morning. I read your post this morning via email on my phone. Thought it was so good.

    And, then I was “parked” near you on Mommy Moments. Wanted to drop by and let you know that I really appreciate you and your ministry.

    You are using your gifts for the good of others and for God’s glory. Thank you for that!

    Planning to turn off the devices and enjoy some quiet this afternoon~
    Blessings,
    Melanie

  3. Love this idea of family quiet time. I usually have quiet time before anyone else wakes up, but we could all benefit from a little less noise. Hard to imagine my active kids being very quiet, but worth a try.

    1. Let me know how it goes. It might take time for them to get into the routine. And trust me, our quiet time is not 100% successful ha! But when it is, it’s great!

  4. Love these suggestions, Micah. I think I need to try some of them myself. Even though I live alone, there are times it feels like there is way too much noise in my life! And then I realize I’m the only one who can control that. Thanks for linking up to Testimony Tuesday today.

    1. I love your link up Holly! Yes, even when the kids are at school I try to put away the phone and listen for the still small voice. I constantly have to work at keeping the noise level of life under control. It gets loud in a hurry!

  5. This is a beautiful post, Micah. I turn off the sound of my phone. I just don’t need to hear it beep every time I get a notification. I think electronics can really take our attention away from what’s important. And family dinner? We’ve been doing that since we married, harder with high schoolers, but we still make it top priority!

  7. These are all great tips for cultivating calmness! Our nest is pretty empty, so we have way more calm than I’m accustomed to–but interacting with students all day long certainly creates a need for home calm within me!

  8. Hey Micah! I totally agree with these ideas, especially number three:) My son is 15 and we still make sure to have dinner together. And definitely no electronics at the table – great advice! It gets harder the older they get, so it makes it easier to establish those boundaries early. Having that time together helps us all feel that familiarity we long for when life gets too hectic. Blessings friend!

    1. Thanks, Kristine! I love to hear that you and your teenager are still enjoying family dinner! Thanks for stopping by, it’s great to hear from you!

  9. Great advice, Micah. Sometimes the things that seem the simplest are the things that make the most impact. I’m big on not being swallowed alive by technology; it does make such a difference. As my children have gotten older, it’s not as easy to have the whole family together for supper, but when we are, I make sure that I take advantage of it. Thanks for sharing today. :) Blessed to be your neighbor at the Coffee for your Heart link up today. ((blessings))

  10. I love this – I’m currently working through those verses (Be Still…and Know) during the month of September. Thanks for sharing!
    -Sarah (www.sarahefrazer.com) – Coming over from #TellHisStory

  11. Wonderful post. To cultivate something is to take steps to promote or improve the growth of something. May we realize all we would gain in cultivating calmness. I so loved the title of this post :)

  12. I think the noise of life tends to drown out what’s most important and if we’re not careful we end up being so accustomed to the clanging that we don’t even notice it even more. Thanks for these suggestions!

  14. Believe it or not, but all those things on your list are things I tried to do as a mom. My kids are big kids now (youngest is 15) and I do not regret one single moment where I shut something off, or dinners we shared, etc. #noregrets :) Blessings!

    1. Thank you for that great encouragement! I know as a mom, it’s hard to know if I am making the right decision. It’s great to hear from someone who has been there and done that!

  15. Thank you Micah – such simple things that can create such calm and peace. What a difference it makes with the TV off and the table cleared so we can sit down for dinner – it still works. Thanks so much. Found you at Wholehearted Wednesday.

  16. We definitely limit electronics and eat meals together, but it would be nice to have more quiet time around here. We also work together in our large garden and spend time enjoying our backyard hens in the evening. All of this will change over the winter months, but it has been a beautiful way to turn down the noise through the warm summer months.

  17. This is great encouragement. Our house gets quiet … but usually it’s because everyone is finally winding down from their day … and eyes are glued to a device! I love the idea of putting those away during quiet time … doing something ELSE that is quiet. Visiting from Grace & Truth.

  18. Simple suggestions that make a huge difference. Love having these all together in one spot. Thanks for the encouragement to create calmness in my home. Linking with you at Grace and Truth.

  19. All these are needful and I appreciate that you shared them on the Art of Home-Making Mondays. This are things we try and do in our home too :)

  22. Hi Micah, Such simple, but oh-so-true suggestions! A great reminder!!
    Blessings and smiles,
    Lori

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