Busy RestingSample

Rest Your Ears

There are few things as exhausting to me as loud or irritating noise. When my children were young, I couldn’t wait for the house to become quiet after their bedtime. Today, the incessant chatter of colleagues and phones ringing at the office often makes me long for some rest.

Let’s look at David’s poem of rest again: “... He leads me beside quiet waters.” (Psalm 23:2, NIV) The sound of water is not necessarily quiet; the peaceful sound refreshed David’s soul. Gone were the city noises and family banters. All that his ears needed to do was translate the quiet surroundings into rest. Wonderful!

Though many holiday destinations advertise the peace and quiet they offer, it is simply not possible to visit them for a day each week. Even if we could visit, there could still be distracting noises if we’re not intentional about getting some rest. So, we need to find innovative ways to regularly rest our ears.

Why not switch off your phone’s ringtone once a week? You can still assign a special ringtone to your children for emergencies. Or perhaps download some soothing water sounds to listen to through your headphones for one day each week. Instead of switching on your car radio, why not drive in silence? Peaceful rest may be right in front of your eyes!

Do you long for some peace and quiet in your life? Do you think that giving your ears a rest once a week would improve your quality of life? Does the idea of silence make you uncomfortable?

Let’s find intentional ways to rest our ears from the world around us. And let us find God in the stillness as we rest in Him. “And this righteousness will bring peace. Yes, it will bring quietness and confidence forever. My people will live in safety, quietly at home. They will be at rest.” (Isaiah 32:17-18)