By Angie Koenig
I got some interesting advice recently. I met with a nun who is devoted to Divine Mercy, something I am also devoted to. In talking with her and telling her my story she said, “You need to slow down, you’re too revved up.” Not exactly the words of encouragement I was expecting.
I get really excited when I talk about the things that have strengthened my faith and what has turned me from a robot Catholic to a Catholic alive with the Spirit. I get “revved up” about a lot of things in life, so to me it was normal. This wise nun saw deeper though, and reminded me that we don’t hear God in the earthquake, we hear Him in the whisper.
I’ve never been good at hearing anything when it’s whispered; I’d rather it be yelled through a megaphone, just to be sure that I hear it correctly. So when I was told I needed to slow down and purposely pause, I was not actually surprised one bit. It’s something I’ve knowingly avoided my entire life, the honest silence.
Our relationship with Jesus, our spiritual dating life as I like to call it, needs to be slow and deliberate. We need to pause and allow the silent outpouring of love between the Father and the Son—the Holy Spirit—to enter into our spiritual dating life as well. In none of my revved up moments have I actually heard God or let the Holy Spirit into my thoughts. It’s always been those quiet moments, in adoration, at Mass, during my nightly prayers, that I’ve heard that still small voice and felt the love of the Trinity consume me.
The problem is, I don’t devote enough of my day to silence. Like some people are afraid of the dark, I am afraid of the quiet. A fear that is keeping me from the unhurried gentle whispering love that Jesus wants me to hear and feel.
Falling head over heels in love with Jesus isn’t a split-second crash like I picture in my head. It’s a slow, graceful, deliberate descent that allows the loving embrace of Jesus to catch me long before I hit the pavement. It gives Jesus the opportunity to look straight into the depths of my soul and whisper the words we all need to hear: I love you and you are Mine.
Sisters, I invite you today to take your relationship with Jesus to the next level, by taking it slow. In the midst of your busy day, pause at least once. Pause, and allow yourself to fall into the arms of Jesus, be consumed by His loving embrace, and wait for the whisper.
About the Author:
Angie Koenig is a passionate follower of Jesus working her way through life as a Millennial. She is the youngest of nine children and embraces her role as a daughter, sister, aunt and friend. Her faith journey has had many unexpected turns and she has recently embraced her calling as a writer to witness to God’s mercy and unfailing love. Angie currently resides in Eau Claire, WI where she enjoys anything that involves coffee.
Your speaking my spiritual love language. Thanks for your comments about the love of the Spouse poured into our hearts and souls by the Holy Spirit! Beautiful.
Thank you Karen, the Holy Spirit definitely was driving my words!
Wow, as women you spoke to all of us. We feel if we were to slow down, we won’t get all the things done. Slow down and God will take care of the rest. God Bless
Beautifully put Karen, I always say if David was a man after God’s own heart I’m a woman after Martha’s! Mary had the good portion though, and it will not be denied of us when we seek Him
So glad I slowed down, after crossing out half of my “to do ” list for today.
Your blog stopped me in my tracks.
Overwhelming restfulness right now, thanks to your message.
How I love it: “be still and know, ” know how much He and my caring Mother
speak to me in the quiet, anytime I choose to put that work list aside.
Now back to being Martha.
Love you Mama and glad I was able to guide you to restfullness <3
Simply beautiful!
Thank you Richelle, I find the more simple my thoughts become the more beautiful they turn out to be 🙂
I love your discription of our relationship with Jesus as our “spiritual dating life”. I’ll pass that on.
Thank you Janet! I am currently writing a book right now about that very topic. I have found that the more “human” I make my relationship with Jesus the more divine it becomes
Thank you for saying you are scared of silence. I am too! I use every excuse in the book not to quiet myself and just be!
Me too Anne, I constantly find noise to fill my day with, I mean if it’s Christian music it’s fine right 🙂 I know though, that even that can be a ploy of the devil, God doesn’t like it when I try to make Him talk over the noise
Amazing message! Love the phrase “honest silence” … I may use that somewhere. I too enjoy anything that involves coffee. One of our daughters attended UWEC for a year and there was a coffee shop near campus that made the best cold press. I kept them in business that year 🙂
Love it Debbie! I feel like Heaven may smell like a coffee shop, at least I hope it does 🙂
I needed and love this. Thank you.
I’m humbled that the Holy Spirit used me to deliver the message you needed Annamarie. I assure you I am most unworthy, but I never fail to be amazed that God uses the most unworthy to deliver His love
Your r right, we need to ‘pause’ and allow the ‘silent’ outpouring of ‘love’ between the Father and the son and the Holy Spirit…slow, graceful, deliberate descent that allows the loving embrace of Jesus to catch me …and look straight into the depth of my soul…whispering, ‘I love u and u r mine’…Wow that takes my breath away…so beautiful!
Thank you Diane!
Angie:
The line “We don’t hear God in the earthquake, we hear God in the whispers ” hit the right spot.
As a Floridian living through the anxieties of hurracaine Irma was intense to say the least. It was so difficult to hear His voice in the midst of so much noise ( weather channel, text messages, emails, phone calls from family, friends and neighbors). The most precious minutes were the ones when praying the Rosary or the Divine Mercy Chaplet albeit the temptation to fall into the “craziness” of the moment. Sometimes to hear Him comes peacefully, naturally like an extension of oneself other times it takes will and purpose. I have experienced both. How much peace and hope is found in listening to the sound of His voice if we only Let Him.
Thank you so much for your encouragement to continue dedicate daily moments were we can hear His whispers.
Glad to hear you weathered the storm!
I love this I try also to do, but I guess it’s just growing up and then how life and every thing is these days (fast or faster) everything I know it makes me feel very over overwhelmed and it makes my anxiety worse So I just have to stop/think/and breath Your post and what I just said also makes me think of my grandparents and the sayings they used to have like, Stop and smell the roses It makes me think to slow down and enjoy the now and what you have Thank you I only wish we (the world) to go back to a time when that is how our lives were (enjoying our husbands/wife’s, kids, neighbors, and God and the Bible and Sundays Sorry for going on, but thank you again! and God Bless you