Step Away
Have you ever stretched out in a park on a blanket or in your backyard and stared at the sky? Maybe you have taken a hike and found a plateau where you can sit and take in the scenery around you. If the weather permits and gives clear skies, you can sit and watch the clouds. Have you noticed how much peace there is in sitting in the midst of nature? No music and chatting and running around, but the comfort of stillness surrounding you. Rather you are staring at the sky or looking over the mountains or captured by the beauty of the sea, there is a sense of peace.
Much like the calming of the sound of waves tossing to and from I feel peace in the presence of God. Some time ago, God taught me how to get to a quiet place. For anyone that knows me they know I have the gift of gab. Over the years, I have become more of an observer and listener than a talker but when in the right company, I chat! Talking and not listening is a never a good thing and I have had to learn to be quiet. For so long I would get in my prayer closet and talk about seemingly everything on my mind. I can only imagine God was tired of my mouth and He gave me an assignment. I had been blessed with the gift to hear God’s voice years prior, so I would pray and listen and we would have these conversations. However, God saw something in me and sent me on a silent mission. Psalm 46:10 KJV says Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
God would wake me up early in the morning and send me to my closet. My only instruction was “shhhhh”. The thing was, I was not speaking. It was more of that paternal instruction. Have you ever been talking to your child and before they even ask that next question or try to plead their case, you give them the “shhh”? Yep, that was what I got! I quickly realized God was teaching me how to quiet my mind. My mouth was quiet but my mind sounded like a first-grade classroom. The learning process of quieting my mind at 4am was generally accompanied by a solid 30 minutes of sleep until I conditioned myself. Eventually I was no longer thinking of things and I could only hear the surrounding noises of my space. When you are laying on the floor, it is amazing how loud the surrounding noises are. We live near a freeway so I could hear cars driving on the freeway, the air conditioning turning on, the neighbors’ dog barking. Then one day I heard absolutely nothing. God had me on the floor of my closet from 4am-5am every morning in silence. The day I heard nothing I cried. Not that anything was wrong but I had finally entered a forced season of rest.
See I do not sleep well at night and back then, I would average a solid 3 hours of sleep. By the time I got out of the bed for work, I was exhausted. Have you ever heard of the expression, “Dog Tired”? That was my situation on most days. God saw fit to step in and make some drastic changes in my life. In Philippians 2:5 KJV, it says “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:” The mind of Christ is not worn out, burdened, scattered or confused. So, I would get before God and before I could even thank Him for waking me up, I had to be quiet. That has been one of the best lessons in my life. When I would get out of my closet, I was refreshed. It has become a place of comfort for me. When I have bad days or just need a moment, I go shut myself up in my closet. I have a pillow and blanket on standby for the more extended sessions.
Mind you, I am still at home and my husband and kids are still very much all there but I hear absolutely nothing. When I’m finished, I have clarity of mind and my body is refreshed. My thoughts are not all scattered everywhere and I am not making a ton of mental notes. It is amazing how we push ourselves day in and day out and we fail to prioritize rest, as we should. Exodus 33:14 KJV says “And he said, My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest.”
I now understand the importance of my season of silence. It was not so much about how to pray but more so preparation for future prayers. Now in life when I am required to not just pray but hear Gods voice or I need to step away from the noise and have a moment with God, I do not need to go home and get in my closet. I now know how to be present in whatever situation and mentally step away to connect and drown out all noise around me. God quiets my heart and mind all at the same time and speaks to me ever so softly. As life continues to move forward, I find myself tapping in to this exercise on a regular basis. Not everyone has experienced the same life lessons and I am grateful because it gives us an opportunity to share and learn from one another. Your exercise may have nothing to do with prayer and everything to do with relieving stress. Some may have nervous habits that they have had to learn how to control by way of quieting the mind. Whatever your reason know that the result should bring about peace. The ability to quiet the mind is a true-life saver.
Rochelle is a native to Las Vegas, Nevada and has been married to her high school sweetheart, Bryan for 20 years. They have three children Daviontae-21, Jordan-19 and Saria-4 years old.
Rochelle’s passion for writing started as a young girl when she used journaling as a way to voice her emotions. Over the years, God has taken something that was solely therapeutic, gave it a voice and is now using it to encourage and uplift women and people from state to state.
Rochelle has worked in healthcare for over 15 years. In her “free” time, she enjoys writing, cooking/baking, creating new recipes and spending time with her family. Having a strong inner circle as well as nurturing the lives of others is very important to her. Rochelle has a passion for encouraging women and helping them to see the value in knowing their self-worth.