I think I talk too much.

That was always my problem in school. I would get my seat moved several times a semester because I would yap with my deskmates, but jokes on the teacher because I would just keep talking by whoever else I was around. The older I’ve gotten—I’ve learned when to stay quiet and just observe instead. And certainly now, I do not have to lead the conversation. Call it growth, but you learn so much more when you listen and don’t speak. I can still talk to just about anybody, but these days, I’m tired. The social media platforms I’ve come to love have been taken over by sales pitches and mom shaming. There isn’t a lot of community going on and it’s just links being clicked on to buy things we don’t need. Parents at games and practices just scroll their phones and I feel like no one says, “Good Day!” to each other anymore. What a happy greeting.

There are so many words, but I feel like no one is saying anything at all.

A jumbled mix of word salad that leaves me feeling empty.

It reminds me of one of my favorite passages in scripture.

“Why do you talk so much, when you know so little?” Job 38:2-4

Whew. Could you imagine God the Father just laying you flat on your back with a line like that one? For context, our old buddy Job is really up the creek, obviously, when God allowed Satan to basically rob and destroy, but not kill Job.

Job has three friends who are just real good time fellas and they have these speeches and lectures throughout the book asking Job if he is a blameless man and if God is who He says he is, by taking all of his earthly goods away. God then challenges Job to a series of questions, and it shows the posture of a parent, a father, who is telling his child to zip it.

38:” From out of a storm,
the Lord said to Job:
² Why do you talk so much
when you know so little?
³ Now get ready to face me!
Can you answer
the questions I ask?
⁴ How did I lay the foundation
for the earth?
Were you there?
⁵ Doubtless you know who decided
its length and width.
⁶ What supports the foundation?
Who placed the cornerstone,
⁷ while morning stars sang,
and angels rejoiced?

⁸ When the ocean was born,
I set its boundaries
⁹ and wrapped it in blankets
of thickest fog.
¹⁰ Then I built a wall around it,
locked the gates, ¹¹ and said,
“Your powerful waves stop here!
They can go no farther.”

Did You Ever Tell the Sun To Rise?

¹² Did you ever tell the sun to rise?
And did it obey?
¹³ Did it take hold of the earth
and shake out the wicked
like dust from a rug?
¹⁴ Early dawn outlines the hills
like stitches on clothing
or sketches on clay.
¹⁵ But its light is too much
for those who are evil,
and their power is broken.

¹⁶ Job, have you ever walked
on the ocean floor?
¹⁷ Have you seen the gate
to the world of the dead?
¹⁸ And how large is the earth?
Tell me, if you know!

¹⁹ Where is the home of light,
and where does darkness live?
²⁰ Can you lead them home?
²¹ I'm certain you must be able to,
since you were already born
when I created everything.”

Shoooo child.

I don’t know about you, but that makes me want to zip it and never say too much ever again. I’m in a season right now where I feel like I pray all the time. All the time. But I’m not hearing too many answers, and while I don’t think there is a such thing as praying too much—there is definitely a thing like talking too much.

My spirit just needs to sit. And listen.

There are seasons when God invites us into silence. They aren’t typically my favorite. These seasons of quiet may seem uncomfortable at first, but they are often moments of deep growth. I told my husband tonight that being a stay-at-home mom is lonelier than I expected—so if I stop texting, and scrolling, and praying…what else will there be in my day?

Isaiah 30:15 reminds us that “in quietness and trust is your strength.” There is a power in stillness that allows us to hear God more clearly. In the silence, we have the space to reflect, to listen, and to rest in His presence. It’s in these quiet moments that our souls are renewed. Yikes. Silence is scary sometimes…but there is goodness there. We just have to wait and listen for it.

Take heart with me, silence isn’t emptiness. It’s an invitation to deepen your trust and experience God’s peace in a way that only stillness can bring.

You’re loved.

Until next time

Bailey