A Quiet Heart

It has been a while since I made time to sit and share something on Imbali. Not that I haven’t wanted to, but it has been one of those seasons where life’s demands have been overwhelming sometimes and then there have been those times when all I have wanted was just to sit and be quiet.

In this post I am going to share about something I have been reflecting on a lot lately, more so when life has been crazy busy and it has been in the last few weeks. I was listening to an audio book by Elizabeth Elliot entitled “Keep a Quiet Heart.” I listened quite far into the book and then realized that this is not one to just listen to but that I needed a hard copy so I can highlight these beautiful nuggets she shares in it. There are things she says in this book that so resonate in my heart and have made me aware of the importance of keeping a quiet heart, especially as I have to deal with women who struggle to keep a quiet heart because nothing seems to be quiet about their lives.

Elizabeth writes “Jesus slept on a pillow in the midst of a raging storm. How could He? He could because He slept in the calm assurance that His Father was in control. His was a quiet heart.” -Elliot, Elisabeth. Keep a Quiet Heart (p. 17). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

 As I journey on in life, I am asking that God would teach me how to have a quiet heart, one that truly trusts Him and knows that “Lord, You have assigned me my portion and my cup, and have made my lot secure” (Psalm 16:5 NIV). “I know of no greater simplifier for all of life. Whatever happens is assigned.”

Elliot, Elisabeth. Keep a Quiet Heart (p. 18). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

As I reflect on the events of the past few weeks today being the 28th of May 2024 especially the last three weeks of May I realize that I need to have a quiet heart for the women that God has brought into my life. Sometimes it is very frustrating to try helping someone who just doesn’t seem to get it or it seems like no matter the effort nothing is getting to them. In this post I am going to share a simple truth I have come to cherish and treasure as it has been brought to my attention over and over recently. That truth is that compassion causes us to go the extra mile even if means discounting our own tiredness in order for someone else’s life to be a bit better or less heavy.

In 2021 someone came by our workshop where we teach women hand weaving and asked if I had space and ability to take in one more woman, a single mother of two whose husband had died of a heart attack and that woman was struggling, had been kicked out of the accommodation where she was staying and was desperate. I said yes and that started our journey with Azam who is from Iran. When I think of a bouquet of flowers, I would say Azam is that one flower which sometimes opens up and brings out such a beauty because of its radiance and then there are days when it closes and all you see is the outside and life sometimes leads us to that. This woman has had to deal with many issues and she did not have the same opportunities as we had to go to school and so even the basic simple things of life can sometimes seem too complicated for her. Since her coming to Creative Hands and into my life, I have learned and still learn to trust God who entrusts us with treasures like her. About two weeks ago I reached a place where I literally cried to God and told Him in my tears that I did not know how or what to do anymore to help this woman. I know that I am never to give up on anyone God sends my way but I came to a place where it truly seemed hopeless yet at the same time I had to remember that “for such Jesus died.”

Azam and I do not share a common language, both of us have been learning Greek so that it becomes that common language but she is slow in learning and hardly remembers the things she learns, then try Google Translation and the  meaning of words is lost in that and I think this is what makes it very hard. But as I reflected on how to “Keep Quiet Heart” I think the storms and frustrations would fade as I lay hold of the truth that each moment is assigned to me by my loving Father who is faithful.

“No temptation has seized you except what is common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can stand up under it” (1 Corinthians 10:13 NIV).

“Think of that promise and keep a quiet heart! Our enemy delights in disquieting us. Our Savior and Helper delights in quieting us. “As a mother comforts her child, so will I comfort you” is His promise (Is 66:13, NIV). The choice is ours. It depends on our willingness to see everything in God, receive all from His hand, accept with gratitude just the portion and the cup He offers. Shall I charge Him with a mistake in His measurements or with misjudging the sphere in which I can best learn to trust Him? Has He misplaced me? Is He ignorant of things or people which, in my view, hinder my doing His will?

Elliot, Elisabeth. Keep a Quiet Heart (p. 20). Baker Publishing Group. Kindle Edition.

When we accept our assignments with confidence, God truly makes His grace sufficient for us. As I got more involved in desiring to make Azam know that she is not alone to carry the weight of raising her children and figure things out on her own, I have found joy and peace and a sense of delight in simple and complicated tasks and I know that we are on a journey of enriching each other as we trust God who is weaving the tapestry of our lives so beautifully together. She is part of my beautiful bouquet of flowers that my heavenly Father is putting together. You can visit us on www.creativehands.gr to learn more or find ways you can help Azam blossom and flourish.