I’ve struggled with worry for years. It wasn’t until recently that I looked in the mirror and decided to do something about it. It was time to make a change.
Many of us allow for worry to steal our peace, to deride us from living The Quiet Life. As a result, we white-knuckle things, striving for more control and all the while, turning up the volume.
Our worry is simultaneously about large and small matters. We have become experts in worry, merchants in anxiety. Worry about retirement savings can quickly be taken on by worry about what someone will think which will duke it out with concerns about our boss.
It’s exhausting.
We recently had a conversation with the kids about what to do when you get to church a few minutes early. The 10 and 14 year olds talked about saying a specific number of prayers for various intentions. The 17 year old, maturing nicely, was honest enough to say, “I’m just trying to calm my mind and get quiet.”
Well said.
We bring our anxieties with us into moments of worship and prayer. I’d like to say that I just “leave them at the door” but that would be dishonest. The real opportunity is for the soul to achieve calmness or quietude. Like a lake that is ripple-less, it more perfectly reflects the sun.
Fr. Jacques Philippe puts it this way, “The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us.” (Searching for and Maintaining Peace)
In this way, we see that a quiet life, one that’s intentionally turned down the volume and opted for a simpler way, is worth it. A quiet life lends itself to a more peaceful soul, allowing God’s grace to do more than ever through us, for others.
Instead of a tweet with #ALLCAPSANGER or a Facebook post with #SNARKANDRAGE, you’re substituting time spent in quiet. You’re opting for real conversations rather than drive-by complaints and uneducated political faux-outrage. Instead of publishing your every thought, you are opting for a calmer way. You are choosing God whether it’s intentional or not.
In this way, when you strive for peacefulness, you’re actually blessing others. By turning down the volume, inside your heart and heart, you are making it easier for others to live a meaningful life.
Many of us allow for worry to steal our peace, to deride us from living The Quiet Life. As a result, we white-knuckle things, striving for more control and all the while, turning up the volume.
Our worry is simultaneously about large and small matters. We have become experts in worry, merchants in anxiety. Worry about retirement savings can quickly be taken on by worry about what someone will think which will duke it out with concerns about our boss.
It’s exhausting.
We recently had a conversation with the kids about what to do when you get to church a few minutes early. The 10 and 14 year olds talked about saying a specific number of prayers for various intentions. The 17 year old, maturing nicely, was honest enough to say, “I’m just trying to calm my mind and get quiet.”
Well said.
We bring our anxieties with us into moments of worship and prayer. I’d like to say that I just “leave them at the door” but that would be dishonest. The real opportunity is for the soul to achieve calmness or quietude. Like a lake that is ripple-less, it more perfectly reflects the sun.
Fr. Jacques Philippe puts it this way, “The more our soul is peaceful and tranquil, the more God is reflected in it, the more His image expresses itself in us, the more His grace acts through us.” (Searching for and Maintaining Peace)
In this way, we see that a quiet life, one that’s intentionally turned down the volume and opted for a simpler way, is worth it. A quiet life lends itself to a more peaceful soul, allowing God’s grace to do more than ever through us, for others.
Instead of a tweet with #ALLCAPSANGER or a Facebook post with #SNARKANDRAGE, you’re substituting time spent in quiet. You’re opting for real conversations rather than drive-by complaints and uneducated political faux-outrage. Instead of publishing your every thought, you are opting for a calmer way. You are choosing God whether it’s intentional or not.
In this way, when you strive for peacefulness, you’re actually blessing others. By turning down the volume, inside your heart and heart, you are making it easier for others to live a meaningful life.