I link up with Lisa-Jo on Fridays for a writing flash mob…throwing caution to the wind and gathering to share what a few minutes of free writing can buy.

Today’s topic: QUIET

GO.

Jake and the other Neverland pirates are fighting Captain Hook and the washing machine is spinning wildly and the dishwasher is humming. He’s snuggled on my lap in the fuzzy blanket, head resting on my shoulder, and despite all the background noise it’s the quietest five minutes of my week. For these five minutes while we snuggle, he’s not running around the house and I’m not on the phone or computer or washing dishes or cleaning the kitchen or doing anything. I’m finally just being — in the moment, with my boy, the two of us spending a quiet few minutes together despite the noise.

Sometimes the quietest moments aren’t quiet moments at all, but finding The Quiet in the midst of the noise. (<= click to tweet)

I used to believe all the conditions had to be perfect for me to enjoy The Quiet. A clean house, a hot cup of coffee, everything in it’s place…children asleep, dark mornings. And those times happen and those times are restoring to my soul. But most times, like Jesus, I have to find The Quiet in the midst of the wilderness.

Jesus withdrew to be alone, but He withdrew to the wilderness (Luke 5:16, NLT). To the desert (NLV). The wilderness doesn’t have clean countertops and folded laundry and swept floors. The wilderness doesn’t have green and blue and white  hydrangeas on a perfectly set table with a shiny new laptop. The desert doesn’t have a steaming hot mug of french roast.

No, the wilderness has monster trucks strewn all over the living room floor, and dirty handprints on the glass doors. The desert has dust under the couch and an unwashed face and unbrushed teeth and a rumbling stomach because you fed everyone else breakfast but haven’t eaten anything yourself yet.

And in the midst of those deserts and that wilderness is a snuggly boy who is almost three yet just born and a couch beckoning for Mommy to stop doing and just be and soak in those last few moments before he’s off to college and then married snuggling a child of his own.

So like Jesus, I withdrew to a lonely place. And when I got there, I found Love. Just like He did.

STOP.