I Thessalonians 4:11
“and to aspire to live quietly, to attend to your own matters, and to work with your own hands, as we instructed you.”
Last time the focus was on the message in scripture about how a faith-life seemed intense. Yet, today’s passage is also an emphasis, a quiet life. This comforts me, as I spent a decade living an intense one. It wasn’t restful.
A quiet life is one that most of us will live. It consists of attending to our own matters. We all have needs that require attention. Galatians 6:5 says that everyone should “Bear his own load”. A certain portion of our time will be dedicated to that.
The end of todays passage says we are to “work with our own hands”. We are to earn money and be self sufficient. This usually takes the majority of our time. For some it’s forty hours, for others, it’s more. We will learn to honor our employer by doing our best and produce an excellent product or service.
We will have to get along with our coworkers. At times this will be challenging. In Matthew 5:41, Jesus speaks of going the extra mile with difficult people. This doesn’t mean we don’t have appropriate boundaries. We can advocate for ourselves. However, we are to treat them well, even though they don’t respond in kind. This is included with in the quiet life.
If we have dependants, we are to financially support, raise and care for them. We are to raise our kids in the faith, providing love and guidance. 1 Peter 5:7 says that we are to be understanding with our spouses. This also applies to our children. To understand them requires us knowing their circumstances, their temperament and so on. We are to put ourselves in their shoes. There will be difficult times. We will need to be patient. Much like God is with us. All this is part of the quiet life.
What does Paul not want us to be? The opposite of quiet would be high drama, self focused and unconcerned about how our actions affect others. We had some neighbors a few years ago that matched that description. They fought loudly, kept an untidy space, drove too fast down the street and made people uncomfortable. They weren’t quiet.
In 2 Corinthians 2:15 Paul tells us we are to be the “aroma of Christ”. Not all will like that, but we can’t worry about people’s responses. We are to be responsible and a blessing.
Lord, thank You for this life. Your path for us is a good one. Help us to follow You, live responsibly and quietly.