The dishwasher is running along with the washing machine and dryer.
The baby is teething—crying, grumpy, and wanting to be held.
The boys are squabbling over their Legos™. Jaime tells them to stop.
The television is still on. “Well, that’s one thing I can turn off right now,” she says as she walks to the family room and grabs the remote.
Doesn’t help much, but one less noise.
Her phone starts to ring. She heads back to the kitchen where she thinks she left it. By the time she gets there, the ringing stops.
Aimee calls from her room, “Mommy, I can’t find my Sophie. Where is she?”
Incessant noise batters a momma’s ears every day. Especially when you have littles. Littles are noisy. They don’t know any other way.
But when the noise starts echoing in your head, it’s time to turn down the volume. It’s time to pause and find a quiet place for a few moments. (That’s probably all you can grab right now.)
How?
- Take time call out to Jesus. Say His name out loud. Tell Him about the noise and ask for His Peace, His Quiet to enter your day. The psalmist in Psalm 27 (The Message paraphrase) says this:
I’m asking God for one thing,
only one thing:
To live with him in his house
my whole life long.
I’ll contemplate his beauty;
I’ll study at his feet.
That’s the only quiet, secure place
in a noisy world,
The perfect getaway,
far from the buzz of traffic.
This isn’t a magic potion. But, Jesus promises us that when we call out to Him, He will answer. And He will bring quiet to your soul.
- Turn on some praise or classical music. When the noise around you is overwhelming, simply turning on some quiet praise or classical music brings calm to your environment. Your soul becomes enriched; your littles will calm down; your mind will stop spinning so quickly. Every time I did this, my littles—still noisy—seemed to lower their volume.
- Turn off whatever you can. That won’t be your littles. But you might teach them the difference between an “outside” voice and an “inside” voice. How will they know if you don’t teach them? You can also remember to use your inside voice when you are frustrated with them. Turn off the television. Turn off the ringer on your phone. Decide to vacuum later. Have your littles play with something non-electronic. Be creative with your noise reduction. You’ll soon feel the peace returning.
We live in a noisy world. Turn down the volume today by spending time with the Father. Talk to Jesus, out loud if you need to. Think about the beauty of the world the Father created and thank Him for it. Find ways to turn your focus upward instead of down at your circumstances. And see what happens to your peace level.
And then celebrate the peace you found.
Live your legacy today,
Kirsten D. Samuel
Aftershock Recovery Coach
8-week Program, Custom-paced Coaching, Remote or In-person Sessions
