What is the Quiet Life?

"Our world is noisy! Whether you live in the city or the country, we are constantly surrounded by noise."

"Why are you so quiet?" If I had a dollar for every time I've been asked that since I was a kid, I could probably afford weekly Starbucks for a year.

Only recently has society started to honor the introverts, the quiet ones, and the soft girls. What once was seen as posh, prude, disengaged, and anti-social is now... cool. The 'soft girl' aesthetic involves simple/earthy clothing, nature walks, and reading, and while this is seen as trendy right now, for most of my friends, this has just been our life.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be less overlooked and under-appreciated, but 'the quiet life' is about so much more than linen sets, black coffee, and Jane Austen books. It's a mindset and a lifestyle-- something that even naturally quiet people need to work towards.

1 Thessalonians 4:11-12 NIV says "and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody."

Our world is noisy! Whether you live in the city or the country, we are constantly surrounded by noise, if we're not careful. Between streaming services, news alerts, social media and even our own minds, the amount we are given daily to process is unsustainable. It's no wonder we have a mental health crisis.

There are so many physical, mental, emotional, and spiritual benefits to living a quiet life. But how do we do that? And is it exclusive to extroverts who get their energy from people?

If we look back at the verse, I think Paul tells us how to live a quiet life, no matter where you geographically live. As a disclaimer, I am not a theologian or a biblical scholar, I am just a young woman who loves to read and interpret God's Word. You need to study Scripture yourself to allow the Holy Spirit to speak to you personally, but I wanted to share how I interpret this verse to help get you started.

Mind your own business. To me, this makes me think of gossip. We all have people and circumstances in our lives that drive us up the wall, and it is so tempting to rant about it with friends who you know will not only understand, but add to your fire.

While it feels good to get it off your chest, the funny thing about gossip is that you rarely get it off your chest just once. After an hour of ranting or venting, you could very easily have the energy to say the exact same things tomorrow.

I recently read something about this, and there are quotes all over Pinterest about the beauty of keeping things private, because God knows exactly what's frustrating you. In fact, He even knows what you need to get through it. So go to Him like a father, fifty times a day if you have to, and let Him take that burden from you and help.

Now, this is not including the times when you or someone are in danger in any way, or if it is hurting your mental well-being. These are not the circumstances I am talking about, nor Paul I'm sure either. But I think we can all determine the difference between gossip and needing help.

This also makes me think of social media. I could be wrong, I have not researched this, but I feel like social media has long surpassed it's original intention of entertainment and keeping up with friends and family. It's become a subconscious addiction, like an automatic response when we have more than 5 seconds of nothing to do. We robotically reach for our phone and scroll Instagram or Facebook, taking nothing in... comprehending nothing.

It's noise, and it's clutter; so while Paul didn't have a Twitter feed in the New Testament times, I see minding my own business as also not worrying about what it appears like others are doing in their life.

To work with your hands can be interpreted many ways, but for me it has to do with intentionality. Whether you're cooking a meal, planting a garden, raking leaves, shoveling, cleaning, building, writing, do it all with intention. I always feel so satisfied when I finish a task and can say "I did that."

To do something intentionally means to work on one thing at a time, and give it your full effort.

Keeping to yourself and working intentionally may at times make you feel unseen or under-appreciated, but the Bible promises the contrary.

If you consider these two things as the cornerstone to a quiet life, then it will surely positively influence the way you live your life. Some more ideas for how to live a quiet life on the daily basis:

In the mornings, instill a quiet routine so that your mind gets used to intentional silence. Wake up before 8:00, stay off your phone for the first hour, make your bed, prepare your coffee (or tea), wash your face, brush your teeth, read something encouraging, eat breakfast, and get ready for the day.

Go on walks without headphones so you can notice everything around you. Romanticize doing things by yourself like walking to get coffee, walking in nature or downtown, taking photographs of things you think are beautiful, join an exercise class, journal about your dreams and what you want, read a book or a magazine in the park, have a picnic on the beach to watch the sunset, or even book a trip for yourself!

Do the same thing in the evenings that you do in the mornings. Cut screens an hour before you go to bed, prepare for tomorrow by writing out what you have to do, lay out your clothes (or workout clothes if you exercise in the mornings), make your lunch (or breakfast too), wash your face, brush your teeth, and read do something calming that's off screens.

As Paul says at the end of this verse, these things will help you to not depend on anybody. I know this can get misinterpreted as do not ask for help- but I don't think this is what he is saying. I think what this means is, if we depend on anyone or anything other than God, we will have created an idol, and we will set ourselves up for devastating disappointment, because no one, and nothing will ever be able to truly fulfill and satisfy us like Jesus.

Again, I am a high introvert, so some "quiet activities" are going to be easier for me than they would be for others, but I think there is something intriguing and powerful when you're disciplined to live parts of your life quietly.