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A quiet place

When life is filled with noises everywhere, we need to find peace in our quiet place.

I am sure you can relate to the inner and external pressures of the world around you. The lingering effects of the pandemic haven’t helped. The challenges in life can get you down: your job demands, family struggles, unexpected setbacks, or your own health and sanity.

With all these to face, you and I need a quiet place. We do not want to escape life, but we do want to find a place for some peace, relief, and quiet time to refocus or recoup.

Up on the roof

“Up on the Roof” is a song written by Gerry Goffin and Carole King and recorded by The Drifters in 1962. Over the decades, several different artists have sung the song, people like James Taylor, Tony Orlando and Dawn, Julie Grant, and Kenny Lynch, just to name a few.

The song talks about how to deal with the pressures around us—by getting away from them to a quiet place, a place to release these pressures into the heavens:

When this old world starts getting me down
And people are just too much for me to face
I climb way up to the top of the stairs
And all my cares just drift right into space.
On the roof, it’s peaceful as can be
And there, the world below can’t bother me.

With my Savior

I find that a quiet place and quiet time are beneficial for my mental health. This also affects my physical well-being.

Jesus was aware of the need for a quiet place as well. “Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed” (Mark 1:35). He also encouraged his disciples to find a quiet place. “Because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them, ‘Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest’ ” (Mark 6:31).

Getting rest is vital. Finding a quiet place is just as important. One of my favorite quiet places is actually not so quiet. It is in the backyard, riding on a noisy lawn mower. The revving of the motor takes me away from the noise of clamoring voices. It provides a time for me to clear my mind and smell the freshly mown grass. It is my time to focus on keeping my mower lines straight instead of wondering about the twists and turns of situations or challenges.

My quiet place provides me with a great time to do what Jesus did: pray. (Of course, I don’t close my eyes because I want my lines to be straight.) I find myself getting lost in prayer for members, friends, and family who are on my mind. It is refreshing to let go of the worldly challenges, lift them up to heaven, and leave them at the throne of the God who can and does handle them. The reality is that when I am in my quiet place, my Savior-God is there with me as I meditate on his Word and promises.

Where is your quiet place? If you don’t know, find one. It may be on a rooftop, on a lawn mower, or even on a lake. Wherever it is, be sure to take Jesus with you.

Author: Snowden Sims
Volume 109, Number 01
Issue: January 2022

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  • Snowden Gene Sims

    Pastor Sims is a 1980 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran High School, a 1985 graduate of Northwestern College, and a 1989 graduate of Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. He presently serves as an associate pastor at St. Paul's, Columbus, Ohio. He also serves as the Michigan District President. He is married to Melinda who is an instructor at The Ohio State University. They have a daughter, Erika, who resides in West Allis, Wisconsin. In his spare time Pastor Sims enjoys fishing, hunting, working out, gardening, playing guitar, and listening to jazz.

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