I tend to keep my life busy and planned, filled with distractions and to-do lists. I like moving from one thing to the next, because it’s easier. That way, I never have to be alone with my thoughts.

Sitting in silence with our thoughts isn’t easy. And sometimes, when our thought lives are consumed with unknowns and concerns and stresses, it’s easy to fall into cycles of anxiety the moment we are alone with our thoughts.

But silence is such a beautiful thing.

Silence may be uncomfortable, but it can lead us to find our sustenance in God and better prepare us to hear His voice. I wrote more about the beauty of silence in a blog post last year, but today, I want to share five ways we can start to grow more comfortable with silence. 

These are lessons I want to apply to my own life as well—not because I’m good at this, but because it’s an area where I know I have lots of room to grow.

1. Schedule in some short, intentional time in your day to be alone with your thoughts and with God.

If we are never alone with our thoughts, silence can become so intimidating. But if we make silence a regular, intentional part of our daily life, it starts to seem a lot less scary. I do this during my morning devotion time, but I’d also like to add quiet moments to other parts of my day as well. 

I’m finding more and more that when my entire day is filled with noise, I feel pretty exhausted by the end of it. 

2. Avoid adding noise to every walk, chore, or drive.

I am notorious for filling every quiet gap in my day with noise. I love listening to music, but my most recent obsession is listening to podcasts. Podcasts are fantastic because they give us the ability to multitask, to learn something new while washing dishes or driving to work or folding laundry. 

But not every walk, chore, or drive needs to be filled with noise. Sometimes, these mundane times are the perfect opportunities for us to sit in silence, process our thoughts, and listen for God.

3. Spend quiet time in nature.

For me at least, outdoor silence is a lot easier than indoor silence. When I’m inside, the quiet can feel oppressive and stifling. But outside, the quietest places are still filled with the subtle, beautiful sounds of God’s creation. 

As I write this, I’m sitting on a picnic table by a creek. I hear the gentle buzzing of crickets, the songs of the birds, the gurgling of the creek. It’s wonderful. I think the more we grow comfortable with silence outside in God’s creation, the more we can transfer that comfort to other parts of our lives as well.

4. Reframe your thoughts with truth, perspective, and positivity.

I just read Get Out of Your Head: Stopping the Spiral of Toxic Thoughts by Jennie Allen. In this book, Jennie talks a lot about identifying negative thought patterns, submitting our minds to Christ, and reframing our thoughts with truth. This is something I’m working on practicing in my own life. When we are able to recognize the lies hidden within our thoughts and transform them with the truth, suddenly, being alone with our thoughts is no longer so scary. 

For example, I feel stressed and overwhelmed right now as I think about the start of a school year with a lot of unknowns. But the truth is, God is here with us now and He is making a way. He sees the big picture. He will guide us through whatever challenges lie ahead. So I can lay my stresses and fears at His feet, because the future is not something I have to plan for on my own.

5. Ask God to open your heart to Him in moments of silence. 

In the quiet places, welcome God into your heart and into your thought life. Listen for His voice. Trust Him with your thoughts. Seek His guidance. As you grow in your relationship with Your creator, sitting in His creation without a thousand distractions starts to feel a lot more comfortable.

I know silence means different things to different people.

But regardless of our experiences with silence, when we grow more comfortable with living in our own minds, and with our own thoughts, we are able to experience a new type of peace. 

We live in a busy, chaotic, success-driven, noisy world. But we serve the Prince of Peace. His yoke is easy, His burden is light, and He longs to give us rest (Matthew 28-30). And sometimes, in order to experience that true rest, we have to be willing to sit in silence with Him.

By the way, never forget… you are onederfully created by Him.

Love,
Becca