This week I noted that in the news there was the usual hustle, activity and commotion around the country — a new electric car on the market, some political wrangling, the usual celebrity gossip, the leaks about a new high-end smart phone, an incredible dinosaur discovery and some news about the latest self-appointed church apostles. There was also the Dow at a new high and the numbers concerning the cash raked in by the new block-buster movies.
The people get bored, and so there is the new stuff, in the news.
Sometime I guess we all want to live “the life” — or at least to hear about the life — the fast, fun, cutting edge, shocking, resourced, healed, powerful, cool life. We seem to have a ubiquitous interest in the best boost, the latest break, the newest go-to gadget, Gidget or gaggle. We seemed to be manic for the latest mission, mansion, murder, miracle or marketing “Wow!”
From business to government to church it sometimes seems as if the most common ambition is to get the next great thing, get the next good deal, aim for the next nearest star, to get rich or powerful — spirit-slain or financially insane in our own jet plane.
We seem to want to power up and move on out — a lot. We Americans are a fairly ambitious sort.
But a few days ago, digging around in my Bible for personal sanity, I ran across this line, “Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.” (1 Thessalonians 4:11)
Hmm, “ambition,” to “lead a quiet life”?
Don’t usually put those two together.
I think I like it, and need it, because I also get bored and I too fall into wanting more, or else or other-better-bigger-digger-jigger.
But it helped me, this idea, this admonition to go for quietness. And so this week I worked on taking pleasure and quiet satisfaction in the small, simple things that I needed to do.
I helped an older disabled woman pay her rent. Interesting, driving her to the bank, giving her the money, talking to her about her limited budget, working with her on getting more affordable housing. Simple, quiet, good.
I also took someone who I wanted to to keep in a leadership loop out to lunch. She is super-special to me. We’ve made quiet history together, empowering women in the church. She was the first female elder I had the privilege to appoint and work with. Cool!
This week I also helped an NA group get established in a new location. Very mundane perhaps — a new room — but very good for a whole group of people trying to recover. Good for them!
Quiet things.
There were more, some very humble activities.
I took a person with special needs out to coffee; she had asked for some special attention. I took some time to drive her to Starbucks, to sit and talk to her, to ask questions and listen. She left smiling. I knew that was time well-spent.
At home, more of the mundane. I washed my cat, I paid my bills, I made dinner two nights, I washed dishes. One evening, I had a nice quiet dinner with just my wife. Then we watched some favorite TV together. After that, I drove out and picked up my daughter and a disable friend from a late evening event.
I must say, upon reflection, that I like doing these kind of quiet things. Today, alone in my office, I laid out a schedule at work for the things that we will deal with and talk about at church for the rest of the year, including Christmas. I like thinking ahead about Christmas. Looking ahead, thinking ahead, alone, in a peaceful room — for the good of some other people — hmm, nice.
What is a quiet life? What does it mean to be ambitious for a quiet life?
It is this: it is simply being wiling and open and even eager to be doing what needs to be done, what is next, what is needed, what is helpful, what is gentle, what is loving, what others need. It means doing what needs to be done when it needs to be done.
I don’t mean to demean progress or vision or big dreams or big successes or stages or lights or healings or awards or news. I’ve dreamed. I’ve surged forward. I’ve gone for more. I’ve had public successes, good moments on the stage of life. It was fun. Some of it was good.
And yet, and yet, and yet-by-yet, what deep peace, what excellent feelings of integrity, what quiet satisfaction lies in small, silent, simple everyday, unselfish things.
I think about it. I breathe this in. Today, after a simple, quiet week, I breathe as if breathing a great, deep, calming silence.
Yeah, go for it when you can — if you must — but the scripture does say to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life.
I think that this is in part, because God loves us so much, and because he wants us to love each other so much, and because God himself is deep and quiet and simply good — and because he wants us to experience great satisfaction.
Thrive! 