The inner dialog in my head just. won’t. stop.
Even though I’m an introvert and I tend to keep quiet more often than I talk, the soundtrack in my mind keeps playing like a broken record. There’s always a task to do or an observation to make, a regret to chew on or a sentence I stuff inside while biting my tongue.
And then there’s the pressure to be a prolific writer, to always have something to say, to encourage, to point people to Jesus, so I file away post ideas and take mental notes of what I share in the future.
All this talking can very well wear you to the bone.
As I told my friend Michelle about my conundrum, my trickle of words and sheer exhaustion, she said frankly, “Sometimes you just need to shut up.”
And you know what? She’s right.
Not just shut up what comes out of my mouth, but shut up the inner dialog in my brain.
To quiet the nonstop chatter that distracts me from hearing the Still Small Voice. This, too, is a discipline. This is a way of knowing Him deeper, of abiding in Him: to be silent.
How often I go through my day, running breathlessly from one task to the next, the nonstop chatter and radio keeping me company, only to get to the end of the day and realize, I have not heard from Him today. Even my “quiet time” can be filled with noise pollution–my own thoughts, my own observations, my own prayers, not giving the One who spoke creation into existence any bandwidth to quiet my soul with His words.
If you feel like your life is going 263 mph, perhaps this is the best advice you’ll receive in a long time (said in all love): “Just shut up and be quiet.”
And in that silence, may we hear Him when He speaks.
Day 20 Challenge: Today, cease your endless chatter (whether spoken or thought) and just be still before God. You may be surprised by what He has to say.
Father, how hard it is to give up control even of this, the nonstop chatter in my mind. Quiet my soul today. Let me hear Your whisper of comfort and life. Help me to slow down and shut up so I can listen to You.