Being a Biblical Wife in a Modern World

The Sounds of Silence

" In your anger do not sin; when you are on your beds, search your hearts and be silent."

~ Psalm 4:4 ~

Ladies... we like to talk. A lot. It's one of those things that we do best. Am I right? I know I love to talk! I love having friends that I'm able to meet for coffee, or call on the phone, and a mom that calls me routinely on her way to work each morning. It's truly a blessing to have loved ones that you know you can count on for a good chat. As great as words can be though, words also have a time and place. Sometimes it is best to put our words to rest. That time is when we are called upon to listen. Whether we are being called to listen to God or our hubby needs our undivided attention, listening is an important art for any relationship.

Yes, I called listening an art because I believe it takes time to grow into being a reliable listener. Listening is hard and can be a challenge. We don't always want to listen to what God may be telling us to do... I mean, sometimes we have our own plans, right? Ha! Wrong! At the end of a long day, the last thing we may want to do is listen to our hubby tell us about his long day. Hello? Isn't it all about "me"? Wait... no! Listening is all about give and take. My hubby and I are still working on perfecting this technique but we're totally fine with that. We all have a tendency to be selfish or interrupt or come up with a million excuses why we don't want to listen but listening is an imperative piece to this puzzle that we call marriage.

Yes, I just called marriage a puzzle. Isn't it though? Aren't we constantly trying to put the pieces together until we have a completed picture? My hubby and I aim to work towards completing our puzzle and I truly feel that each day we are together, our puzzle grows more complete. We are growing, we are changing, and we are aiming to make all the pieces fit together. In order to continue to complete our puzzle we need to have a solid foundation with God so that He can continue to guide us and coach us.

Yes, I just called God a coach. That's who I go to to learn valuable tools and lessons. That's who I rely on for encouragement and perseverance. That's who I go to for reassurance and answers. God coaches us through life and His Word is our game plan but we can't do what we're made to do if we don't take the time to really listen to Him. Wouldn't it be great if God just came down and had a quick chit chat with us? Life would probably be so much easier if we just went to Starbucks and God was able to tell us exactly what He wants us to do with our lives and what His plan is for us. But what would we be learning if that's how it all worked? We need to go to Him personally! He so craves a relationship with us and He wants us to seek Him!

Over the holidays my hubby and I had an uncomfortable visit we needed to make. We were a mix of emotions. We were trying to stay positive but feelings of dread, negativity, and hurt feelings started to seep in. We prayed and prayed and prayed for our sour feelings to just go away. I prayed and prayed and prayed for a way to get out of this visit and for the Lord and my hubby to forgive me for bailing out. Some of these things that I was praying for were selfish and definitely not what God was leading me to do. My stomach was literally in knots in the days leading up to this visit. The day that we were supposed to head out, I woke up super early in the morning. I could not fall back asleep and it was too early to peel myself out of bed so I just laid in bed, closed my eyes, and started praying. I was so overwhelmed with emotions and prayer that I honestly can't even remember what exactly I was praying for. I was enjoying this quiet time with God during the early, peaceful morning and that's when it hit me. In those moments of silence it was like the Lord just leaned over me and whispered, "Hannah, just do it." Sounds like a Nike commercial but it was all I needed to hear and it was all God wanted me to do. I had to get over my selfish doubts and just go with it and trust what the Lord was commanding me to do. We need to trust the Lord and listen to Him! We need to stop worrying what others think and we need to be confident in the fact that we have the Lord as our coach, cheering us on and supporting us.

Ladies... silence is golden and such a valuable tool! In silence we can listen to our loved ones but most importantly we can listen to God. What can you hear when you really stop and listen? What is He telling you to do? What is He leading you to do?

Be still. Be trusting. Be silent.