I Really Like the Quiet

One verse has been quietly following me during this season away from social media.

“Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business…”
— 1 Thessalonians 4:11

I’ve read that verse many times over the years, but lately it has settled into my heart in a new way.

As I’ve stepped away from social media, something unexpected has happened.

My mind has become… quiet.

Not because life has become quieter, but because there isn’t a constant stream of information flowing into it.

It made me wonder…

What does it really mean to “mind your own business” in a world where we have a window into hundreds of other people’s lives?

And then I realized…

It isn’t just people.

It’s the constant stream of voices.

Friends.

Businesses.

Advertisements.

News.

Reels.

Ministries.

Encouraging messages.

Motivational speakers.

Even good things…

They’re’re still voices.

Because of Be Love Give Love®, I spent a lot of time on social media. It was part of serving, connecting, and sharing what I felt called to create. But every time I opened the app to post something, I also found myself scrolling past everything else.

Not intentionally.

Just because that’s how it’s designed.

Before I knew it, my mind had absorbed hundreds of little pieces of information that had nothing to do with the life God had placed right in front of me.

I don’t say that with judgment.

It’s simply something I’ve noticed.

I didn’t realize how crowded my inner world had become until it grew quiet.

Now, instead of carrying around little pieces of everyone else’s day, I have room for my own.

Room to notice the birds in the yard.

To appreciate the wildflowers.

Long conversations with my husband.

Time with our son.

Helping a neighbor.

The sound of the wind.

The quiet nudges of God.

The stillness.

The presence.

The peace.

It’s made me wonder if a quiet life isn’t just about having fewer things to do.

Maybe it’s about creating enough space to fully receive the life that’s already unfolding around us.

I honestly don’t know if I’ll return to social media.

Maybe I will.

Maybe I won’t.

I’m not trying to make a statement or suggest everyone should step away.

I’m simply paying attention to what this season has revealed.

Maybe a quiet life isn’t just about speaking less.

Maybe it’s also about listening to fewer voices.

Because when every spare moment is filled with someone else’s thoughts, it’s easy to lose sight of what’s happening within your own heart.

And sometimes, the voice we’ve been longing to hear has been there all along…

Waiting for a little quiet.

For now…

I’m finding that the quieter my world becomes, the more present I am for the people God has already entrusted to me.

And I really like the quiet.

~~~~~~~

Part of the Breadcrumbs collection by Abby Lewis—true stories that gently invite us into a different way to live.

Continue reading: Teach Me to Love. What if the greatest transformation isn’t changing someone else’s heart—but allowing God to soften our own? A reflection on quieting division, seeing people through God’s eyes, and learning to love without conditions.