The Quiet Life

My house is filled with the noise of the warring sounds of two televisions airing  Nickelodeon and Disney, a little girl singing songs she makes up, a fight over which Kickin' It character is which and small whimper about hating homework.  At this moment my life is filled with the white noise of other peoples conversations and carts bounce across a tile floor moving from one building to the next while NEEDTOBREATHE fills my earbuds.  Later tonight shouting and hollering and cheering for two boys as they swing for the fences and hustle around basepaths.  Only to be followed by the religion that is UK basketball that comes with hands raised, knees bents, shouting a pinstriped shirts and possibly weeping if things do not go well.

Life is noisy.

In the midst of the plan of this day is the challenge of what I read as a stole a moment away to find quiet.  (Take your guess where that was.) I ran across the verse that said to live a quiet life.  This tidbit of insight is tucked away in the first letter to the church at Thessalonica.  Paul was not addressing the outside noise, but the noise we make a Christians.  The challenge was to let your life speak on your behalf in order that those who do not know this God we serve will respect the way we live.

This got me thinking about all the times my faith has been noisy for no purpose other than just to make noise.  Now I believe, as believers, we need to take stands for justice and mercy.  But how often have we just been noisy to those who have no understanding of the noise we make?  How often has the noisiness of our faith been more of detractor than and attraction to those who do not know Christ?

"Make it your goal to live a quiet life, minding your own business and working with your hands, just as we instructed you before.  Then people who are not Christians will respect the way you live..."  I Thess. 4:11-12

I would love to hear your comments on this question: Is your life too noisy?