All is Calm
During hectic and busy seasons, do you ever feel the urge to retreat from the burden of responsibilities that begin to pile up? I’m sure that I am not the only one who begins longing for coziness, comfort, and calm. Fall and winter often become a time when the desire to settle in and slow down can build.
Imagine curling up in front of a flickering fire with a warm beverage. Outside, fluffy snowflakes flutter past the window. Mellow candlelight glows as you snuggle beneath a plush blanket with nowhere else to be. Settle into this space, isolated from the cares of the world.
Yearning for tranquility is certainly not a new concept. In the last decade, a trend popularized through books and media attention has been passed around about a pursuit of contentment and comfort called hygge (pronounced hyoo-guh). The practice began as an effort to deal with long, gloomy winters. This attempt to foster a sense of snugness and satisfaction is a way of life in Danish culture.
Doesn’t this sound appealing? Is it attainable for more than just a season? What further insight might Scripture provide? It’s always good to give Scripture some thought, especially if there might be a temptation to lean too far into the comforts of a season as a way of numbing ourselves. If you struggle with that, Psalm 131 offers a healthier model for what helps us achieve a calm life.
In three short verses, the psalmist provides a process for calming and quieting ourselves. First, verse 1 paints a picture of humility. There is no room for a prideful heart. Here is an invitation to let go of things beyond our control and outside our realm of understanding. What relief can come when we let go of worries too big for us in the first place.
Verse 2 describes a deliberate choice to still our tumultuous thoughts. This may require more than just being resolved. Prayer may be required, and often. But it is an intentional determination to empty our hearts of anxiety and not to hang on to the thoughts that burden us. The closer we get to God, the more satisfaction we feel, as naturally as a child resting contentedly in a mother’s arms.
Finally, we find an encouragement to “put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore” (v. 3, NIV). A continued relationship is implied, one that involves total trust—not in ourselves, but in our Maker. Through Him, we can cultivate inner peace and contentment. True calm is attainable, even when life gets chaotic.
My heart is not proud, Lord, my eyes are not haughty; I do not concern myself with great matters or things too wonderful for me.
But I have calmed and quieted myself, I am like a weaned child with its mother; like a weaned child I am content.
Israel, put your hope in the Lord both now and forevermore.
