In most places in this country, there is a law against "disturbing the peace." Those who choose to continually make loud and unreasonable noises in their neighborhoods can be charged with a misdemeanor offense. Yes, most people want a quiet and decent place in which to live. This is because we are made in the image of God, who said through the apostle Paul, that we should "aspire to lead a quiet life" (1 Thessalonians 4:11), and to pray for the civil authorities so that "we may lead a quiet and peaceable life" (1 Timothy 2:2). Yes, quietness is a virtue which we are to pursue.
This is especially true when it comes to our homes. The wise man wrote, Better is a dry morsel with quietness, than a house full of feasting with strife (Proverbs 17:1 NKJV). In other words, it is better to be poor where peace abides, rather than being rich where fussing and fighting are commonplace. Our Christian homes should be a refuge from a loud and disturbing world. God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble (Psalm 46:1). If God is like this, His children should be also (cf. John 8:38; 14:9).
Sadly, there are many homes today that contains strife. When husbands and wives argue, when parents yell at their children, when children whine and sass their parents, it is a home void of quietness, that is, of the good kind. For there can be quietness in a home, but this results from family members who refuse to speak to one another choosing to ignore their problems. Such a house that is divided against itself cannot stand (Mark 3:25). Homes that sow strife will reap shattered souls. Fathers, do not provoke your children, lest they become discouraged (Colossians 3:21).
A house of quietness is not a home where no one speaks; rather, it is a place where conflicts are addressed and resolved according to the biblical pattern. A quiet home is a place where yelling is reserved only for life threatening situations. It is where praise is abundant and criticism is sparse, and where discipline is consistent and fair. It is a house of prayer, hospitality, and good works. Christians need to remember that we are to put away every kind of bad behavior of every degree: Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice (Ephesians 4:31). Clamor means loud quarreling. The very next verse marks the attitude of a quiet home: And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you (Ephesians 4:32).
Is your home a quiet place to live? If not, what are things that you can pursue that make for peace? First, determine you are going to develop the right environment (1 Thessalonians 4:11). Second, pray for a quiet and peaceable life (1 Timothy 2:2). Third, let your life be an example that other family members can model (1 Peter 3:1-4). Fourth, teach righteousness; that is, God's commandments. The work of righteousness will be peace, and the effect of righteousness, quietness, and assurance forever (Isaiah 32:17). Fifth, reach out to your church family for help. My prayer is that every home represented here at St. Andrews Road is, or will be, a home where quietness rings.
Brotherly, Jamie
