It Seems Everyone Wants Noise. Are they Listening?
Some thoughts that popped into my head in the quiet of the morning when I saw today’s FMF word: Quiet (adj.) Making or characterized by little or no noise. Free of turmoil and agitation; calm. Examples: Mouse foraging in our basement; 5AM in our house.
In our world it seems that many do not want quiet. Many different voices are always crying and clamoring for attention. As I sit in my home office, most of the runners passing on our street in the early morning hours are listening to something. The biggest problem many of us has is that we are always listening but not hearing and then thinking followed by praying. I recently read something that reminded me about quiet listening. Here it is…
Listening Is Best Done When I am Quiet
“Francis Schaeffer was known to have said, ‘If I only have an hour with someone, I will spend the first fifty-five minutes asking them questions and finding out what is troubling their heart and mind, and then, in the last five minutes, I will share something of the truth.’ I have discovered that you know you have listened long enough when what you are about to share about Jesus not only sounds like really good news to you, but it also sounds like good news to the person listening to you.” – Jeff Vanderstelt, (Lead teaching pastor at Doxa Church in Bellevue, Washington.)
God’s Thoughts About Peace and Quiet
Would you like to please God? He has pleasure when you lead a quiet, peaceful, godly, and dignified life. He has a purpose in that desire: for the rescue of people and for them to get the knowledge of truth.
“First of all, then, I urge that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people, or kings and all who are in high positions, 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, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. 1 Timothy 2:1-4
How to Identify a Follower of Jesus
“A hot-tempered man stirs up strife, but he who is slow to anger quiets contention.” Proverbs 15:18
“A fool gives full vent to his spirit, but a wise man quietly holds it back.” Proverbs 29:11
Five Minute Friday
This post is part of the weekly Five Minute Friday link-up.
All scripture passages are from the English Standard Version except as otherwise noted.
Know Your Flocks & Herds 
We often look to nature when trying to describe something. “If it looks like a duck, walks like a duck and quacks like a duck, it is probably a duck.” “Don’t be a bull in a china shop.” “He was as quiet as a mouse.” Are you a quacking duck, a bull in the china shop, or more like the mouse?
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My quiet place is a small condo at Fairfield Bay. Even when I bring my grandchild with me, we had only one rule: No complaining. How quiet our minds would be if we followed that rule every day. No complaining.
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A bull on china-wrecking spree,
that’s what my mates all know,
and I bring the shop with me
everywhere I go.
I find it hard to moderate
my effort to each task,
and in an effort to placate
I find that I must ask
that you keep a wary eye
for flying cups and plates
that may closely pass you by
as I empty out the crates
without hostility or rancour
or the dignity of an anchor.
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Your words make me think of when Jesus would say “Let him who has ears hear.” We are all capable of listening, but we don’t always receive it.
Amie, FMF #16
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