Not-So-Quiet Time

I must be honest.  I’m tired of hearing the two words “quiet time” -- almost as much as I’m tired of hearing people on the Today show use the word “bling” as a reference to jewelry. As I think about the sort of things my boys like doing with their daddy – wrestling on the floor, laughing to the point of pain, going on daring pirate adventures that span the seven seas of our back yard – it makes me wonder if “quiet time” is an adequate choice of words when it comes to describing our time in God’s presence. 

I guess there’s nothing really wrong with the phrase “quiet time,” and it may accurately describe some Christians’ personal moments with God.  But it doesn’t apply to me.  I’m a 20-oz. Mountain Dew-drinking, bounce-off-the-wall, chicken-dancing kind of guy, and I don’t spend much of my time “quietly” (except when I’m eating Blue Bell ice cream, which takes all of my attention and is somewhat of a religious experience of its own). 

Perhaps my qualm is really with what the words “quiet time” represented to me as a youngster: rules. Growing up in my ultra-conservative bubble, the phrase often referred to a set time and place, a certain number of verses and minutes – you know, kind of like the spiritual SAT exam. And I bought into the legalistic formula hook, line and sinker. I thought “If a spastic monkey like me can sit on his hands for 30 minutes and be still, surely that proves my devotion to God.” (Usually it just proved that my rear end could fall asleep almost as fast as the rest of me).

Nowadays, however, I like my personal time with God to be less about rules and more about freely expressing myself to God at that particular moment – whatever form it may take.  Will it often involve reading scripture?  Yes, of course.  But it might also include hitting a bike trail and having my own little adventure in God’s backyard. Or maybe I’ll light some of those candles that smell like banana-cream-something and write out a big thank-you note to Him. Or perhaps I’ll imagine God’s power and majesty to the tune of the 1812 Overture, while drinking ridiculous amounts of the aforementioned Mountain Dew.

Of course, it’s not about me; it’s about pleasing Him. But what could please the Father more than seeing a child bask in His presence with abandon? 

I don’t think God likes to be put in boxes (I know I don’t).  And although being quiet and still before Him definitely has its place, it’s not the only way to express our hearts to God.  So think outside the box – I believe that’s where He hangs out.  And as you seek the Lord, exercise the uniqueness that He created in you – even if that means spending some “un-quiet” time with Him.

Carey Dyer is a hubby, daddy, and entertainer (in that order) who makes his home in the beautiful hill country of Texas. When he's not singing, going to Wal-Mart three times a day or watching Andy Griffith reruns, he enjoys backyard adventures with his two pirates, ages 10 and 4.