Faithfulness in the Quiet

An invitation to participate in the present

When you think about slow seasons, what comes to mind? Does it feel quiet, mundane, even painfully dull? Maybe you’re waiting for the right job or longing for something new. Honestly, if I’m not careful in the slower seasons, I’ll resort to numbness, and suddenly impatience rears its ugly head. My flesh wants to call out to God and yell, “Could you just hurry up and make something happen already?” Sometimes life plainly feels like a balancing act of work, family time, health, and a social life—not to mention getting that full eight hours of sleep seems nearly impossible. Nothing new, nothing exciting. So we flick on autopilot, lean back, and kick our feet up for a while. Comfortable, right?

It seems that an intentional life doesn’t come naturally to us. We have to fight for it. This fight looks like surrendering the things we’d rather have and taking up everyday faithfulness in the things that we have been given. Faithfulness in every season, the mundane and the bustling, is something we can’t afford to overlook. God has designed us with beauty and purpose even when we deem our circumstances undesirable. When we realize this, our purpose is no longer put into the box of our occupation or achievements. Rather, it’s a sweet invitation to live as God created us—stewards of the gospel and reflections of hope and love—regardless of what this season may bring or not bring.

Comfort is a slippery slope. We can grow complacent and resign to coasting until a bigger, more impressive opportunity comes along. We set up camp in our numbness, never seeing the beauty and purpose in daily life. Our culture’s default is to overlook people in need, our neighbors, co-workers, and even the people in our own home—but God saturated our day-to-day with opportunity. He has woven purpose into every interaction of our day, and he wants to use us no matter the circumstance.

Even when we don’t understand the full picture, we’re called to participate in the present instead of checking out. He invites us to actively engage with the here and now regardless of what vehicle it showed up in. It can be as simple as a phone call with a friend, journaling, taking time to pray, really listening to someone, or simple gratitude. The times that call for intentionality typically don’t show up in a grand ball gown. They’re unannounced, gentle, humble, and consistent. It’s an invitation into a greater purpose that’s beyond what we can grasp. Every single day we encounter opportunities to delight in God and to encourage and connect with others. When we live in faithfulness and intentionally surrender the seemingly insignificant moments to God’s bigger purpose, the quiet seasons become radiant with God’s fingerprints.

Alli Joy Neuhaus is a storyteller and photographer out of St. Paul, Minnesota. She hopes to bring the light of the gospel into the world through her words and creativity. @allijneu

Faithfulness in the Quiet