…and to make it your ambition to lead a quiet life: You should mind your own business and work with your hands, just as we told you, so that your daily life may win the respect of outsiders and so that you will not be dependent on anybody.
1 Thessalonians 4:11-12
We are often ambitious about many things: Getting ahead in our to-do lists, being in the center of fun and exciting events and activities, seeing our dreams realized, etc. I have had seasons in my life where I was pouring things into my life to try to escape a quiet life, much less pursue one purposefully. This should not be so. I am finding so much benefit for myself in meditating on these commands given by Paul. For him to instruct the believers he oversaw in this way, there must be great value in slowing down, narrowing your focus, and working to be independent of others for your needs.
Answer some of these questions for yourself, and pray and ask God for wisdom on how adhering to a few of these ideas can increase your peace.
What does a quiet life look like? Do I find ways to embrace or avoid this kind of life? What changes would I have to make to see a quiet life manifest?
What does it mean to mind your own business? Are there areas in my life that are not being tended to? What gets the bulk of my attention: what other people are doing or what’s going on in my very own life?
Who am I dependent on, and for what reasons? How would these areas look different if I was dependent on God instead of another person?