• Home
  • Contact
    • Collaborate
  • Blog
  • Parties
    • Children’s Parties Ideas
    • Holiday Parties
    • Adult Party Ideas
  • Holiday Ideas
    • Christmas
    • Easter
    • Fourth of July
    • Spring
    • Thanksgiving
    • Valentine’s Day
  • Seasons
    • Winter
    • Spring
    • Summer
    • Autumn
  • Recipes
    • Appetizers
    • Beverages
    • Desserts
    • Main Dishes
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Project Gallery
    • Crafts
    • Decorating
    • DIY
    • Good Ideas
    • Tutorials
  • Nav Social Menu

    • Bloglovin
    • Email
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

At The Picket Fence with Vanessa Hunt

Where Ideas for your Home Meet Inspiration for your Heart

  • Book
  • Speaking
  • Meet Vanessa
    • Featured

March 1, 2016

Chatter

The day started out like any other. Up early, guzzling coffee, packing lunches, driving kid number one to school, coming back home, guzzling more coffee, driving kid number two to school then back home again to clean up the house, reply to emails, schedule appointments and return phone calls.

By late morning I realized that we needed a few things from the store so I headed out to run my errands before returning home again.

 

After doing two loads of laundry and taking a couple of minutes to eat lunch I sat down at my computer and was immediately sucked into conversations happening on Facebook. I flipped back and forth between screens checking to see if the email I was waiting on had come through, scanning an article I had clicked on in the morning, and trying to muster up the energy to edit photos.

I could hear the hum of the dryer in the background accompanied by what my son calls my ‘old lady music’ a.k.a. smooth jazz playing on the TV music channel. I sat there at my kitchen table and was overwhelmed by my complete and utter lack of focus. It was as though my thoughts were all twisted into a knot inside my soul and it was getting pulled tighter and tighter.

Suddenly, I felt as though the walls were closing in on me. Here I sat alone in my home and yet I had this very keen awareness of all of the noise. The noise from social media, the noise from the articles I bookmark but never read, the noise of my inbox pinging every time I got an email, the noise of the dryer that seems to never end.

And all I could think about was that I needed to get away from the noise and I needed to get away from it immediately!

I grabbed my shoes and headed right out the door. And as I walked around my neighborhood I realized that just as the clouds in the sky had parted to make way for beautiful sunshine, so were the clouds in my mind beginning to part.

The fresh air filled my lungs and I began to feel that knot in my soul begin to loosen.  As I soaked in the beauty of that unusually warm spring day, I reflected on why I felt such a sudden, almost panicky, desire to flee my home.

I prayed for God to reveal to me what it was that was causing me to feel so befuddled, so unable to focus. And one word sprang instantly to my mind.

Chatter

I think that my overwhelming sense of needing to escape was brought on by the never-ending chatter that I’ve allowed into my life, my mind, my spirit. It feels as though I’m surrounded on all sides by a steady stream of chattering. Social media, emails, phone calls, the radio playing in the car, text messages and the list goes on. Even when I’m all alone, the chatter is there. It doesn’t ever leave me alone.

What I realized as I walked was that what I was craving in that moment was peace and perhaps even a sense of clarity. And because the chatter will never me alone, I have to be willing to leave it.

In Mark 6 we read of the story of Jesus feeding the 5,000. But just prior to this miraculous event, He and His disciples had spent an extended period of time traveling and teaching before He received word that His beloved John the Baptist had been put to death. Jesus was physically and emotionally exhausted. His disciples were physically and emotionally exhausted. Every moment of every day had been filled with chatter. And when they thought they were finally going to have a moment to hit the pause button, to regroup and debrief, they were met instead with still more chatter, still more pulling at them. “The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all they had done and taught. Then, because so many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat, he said to them,“Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest.” So they went away by themselves in a boat to a solitary place.” (Mark 6: 30-32)

Jesus recognized the deep, abiding need for solitude. All the disciples wanted was a chance to collect their thoughts and share with Him what they had accomplished in His name. But as long as there was chatter, as long as there was constant noise, that wasn’t going to happen.

Jesus knew that clarity cannot be found in the midst of chatter.

Clarity doesn’t come when our minds are racing and our hearts are pounding. It comes when our spirits have been quieted.

I don’t think I even realized how desperately I was longing for clarity in certain areas of my life until I stepped outside my door, until I found myself fleeing from the chatter.

And I realized that perhaps, deep in the recesses of my heart, I had known I needed to get away from the chatter long before I raced out the door that day. Perhaps I had enjoyed getting lost in the chatter so that I didn’t have to actually face reality. Perhaps it served as an escape. Perhaps I was even a bit scared of the clarity. The chatter can so often serve as a security blanket, enveloping us and keeping us from having to deal with reality.

Because once we gain clarity in our lives, we are faced with only two choices. We either do something with the newfound awareness, or we don’t.

 

That day, as I observed the miracle of one season dissolving into another and felt the warmth of the sun on my face, I gained so much more than the satisfaction of knowing that I was burning calories as I walked. I gained much needed clarity. I was able to sense the Lord affirming that the nudgings I had been feeling in my heart were indeed from Him and part of a plan He is setting in motion. I felt Him reminding me of just how very much He loves me. I confessed sin to Him and experienced the overwhelming grace of His forgiveness as though I was experiencing it for the first time.

And I realized just how well He knows me. How He was the one urging me to escape the chatter just as Jesus urged His disciples to seek solitude and rest. He knows that in this world we live in today, solitude is so much harder to find and yet it’s needed more than ever.

So, I want to ask you these questions today.

When was the last time you felt the urge to get away from the ‘chatter’ in your life?

What’s holding you back?

How can I pray for you?

Because, you see, one of the things that I received clarity about as I walked around my neighborhood last week, was that this needs to be a place where we truly do life together. It was affirmed to me that there are those of you who are truly longing for community, for a safe place to share your struggles. For a place to know and be known.

So, let’s talk. I think it’s your turn now. 😉

I’m so glad you met me at the Fence today,

Vanessa signature

20 Comments Filed Under: Devotionals, Faith, Good Thoughts Tagged With: Faith

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Decorating with Thrift Store Silver
Next Post: Bamboo Roman Shades in the Family Room »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jean says

    March 1, 2016 at 4:54 AM

    Thankyou Vanessa, for sharing today………….I truly needed to hear that. God bless.

    Reply
  2. Debbie Reynolds says

    March 1, 2016 at 5:13 AM

    Thank you! Reading your post before beginning my “chatter” filled day, brought me a moment of serenity that I badly needed.

    Reply
  3. Vicki S says

    March 1, 2016 at 5:27 AM

    Thank you. This is what I needed today. (Love your blog!)

    Reply
  4. Michelle says

    March 1, 2016 at 6:38 AM

    Amen Sister! You wrote about what so many are experiencing. Listen to the Lord’s promptings and feel the peace.

    Reply
  5. cheryl cate says

    March 1, 2016 at 6:44 AM

    thanks for sharing I too get lost in the Chatter of life, please pray for me everyday is a struggle.

    Reply
  6. Della Sinnock says

    March 1, 2016 at 10:12 AM

    Hello,
    I have never commented here before, as I am not really a big blog reader. But, I am SO pleased and blessed that I read your post today, it really blessed me and reminded me that my relationship with Jesus is more important than any other thing that I have the day to work on. I have many challenges in my life at the moment, both physical, financial and spiritual, and knowing that there are places like your blog that I can come to is such a wonderful thing in the middle of my brand of “chatter”. Thank you SO much for your outreach to me here in my household of one. See you in Heaven!!!
    Della 🙂

    Reply
  7. Kathy H. says

    March 1, 2016 at 10:37 AM

    Your transparency in the midst of “chatter” was enlightening and uplifting. Thank you for the Godly loveliness that is you.

    Reply
  8. Terri says

    March 1, 2016 at 11:05 AM

    “Be still my soul…” is the phrase I’m trying to connect to. It hangs in my house and I listen to the music – “Be Still my Soul”. Such a challenge. I don’t know why. When I create space for the stillness I am greatly rewarded. Very much still a process. Thank you for the reminder today.

    Reply
  9. Julia says

    March 1, 2016 at 1:23 PM

    Thank you for this post. Please pray for my parents in their declining health.

    Reply
  10. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    March 1, 2016 at 1:31 PM

    Chatter can certainly get the best of us…especially in these times of “instant” … from social media to cell phones…always having to be available and everything needing instant attention….I think we need to roll back and have the only thing instant in our lives be instant coffee…but then again, I prefer fresh brewed!…Great food for thought…the world needs balance…

    Reply
  11. Helen says

    March 1, 2016 at 8:52 PM

    Thank you for this message and for sharing it as I go forth picturing myself at the fence talking to GOD through you! I, too, have felt the need for clarity. I struggle with loosing people I love. I know that the memories live on but it is difficult. I pray for peace of mind and the desire to be strong. Please continue to share your encouraging words because they have helped me so much!!! ❤️❤️❤️

    Reply
  12. Julie Kimmel says

    March 1, 2016 at 9:51 PM

    Vanessa, you did it again! This post is so relevant right now. Lent is a time for quiet reflection and I find I lose focus by listening to the chatter. I am struggling with a family situation and it seems to get my attention so much more frequently than it should. I have to train myself to STOP the noise in my head and tune into the Lord. Thanks for this post!

    Reply
  13. Pamela says

    March 2, 2016 at 5:46 PM

    I don’t watch tv before dinner and rarely turn on the radio, even in the car. My chatter comes from people. Our home is a busy one with people in and out all the time. My phone must ring or ding dozens of time daily. SO. MANY. WORDS. It might surprise you to know we are empty nesters. I can’t think straight when I get so many interruptions. I need quiet…with my Lord, my thoughts and myself. Otherwise it feels like my hair isn’t combed. I would really appreciate some prayers for mental rest. I have a non life threatening cancer surgery tomorrow.

    Reply
  14. Elaine says

    March 3, 2016 at 1:56 PM

    I do know what you mean. I have found that too much tv, even reading can seem to close in. I am lucky in some ways to have hearing aids, I take them out and calm the noise around me. I love to get up early and sit on the lanai with my Bible book readings and the soothing pool water and talk to God and think of my family starting their day. The cat and dog finish sleeping just a few feet away. My husband has Parkinson’s and takes more sleep time, so he can rest in peace and quiet. On the days I don’t have this time I find I have to adjust my attitude to calming down.

    Reply
  15. Sarah Barnard says

    March 3, 2016 at 7:49 PM

    Thank you, Vanessa for sharing this! I’ve been feeling this way too, and it’s wonderful to feel refreshed reading your posts!

    Blessings,
    Sarah Barnard

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      March 5, 2016 at 12:59 PM

      Thank you Sarah! So glad it was refreshing. <3

      Reply
  16. Peggy Renie says

    July 5, 2016 at 9:21 PM

    My quiet is reading. I can lose track oh all the “noise” when my mind is absorbing a great story. I begin and end each day with books

    Reply
  17. Diana says

    March 17, 2017 at 6:16 PM

    Thank you Vanessa. I have totally been in this spot before. In fact, after I type this I am going for a walk. Sometimes we need this mini 20-30 minute vacation to get away for a bit to refresh our mind and soul.

    Reply
  18. Debbie Barnard says

    March 19, 2017 at 5:25 AM

    Thank you. I needed to read this today.

    Reply
  19. Ashley Ann says

    October 26, 2017 at 7:46 PM

    Thank you for sharing this..I truly needed to read this today and to remember it always. I just happened across your post on Facebook about this and this is my first visit to your blog. Thank you, Vanessa, for sharing this..I truly needed to read this today and to remember it always.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Take the Quiz

Stay updated!

Get all the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Must Reads

Recent Posts

  • My French Country Christmas Mantel December 4, 2019
  • Incorporating Advent Candles Into Your Christmas Decor November 27, 2019
  • Simple Hot Cocoa Station November 21, 2019
  • An Update From Me to You November 15, 2019
  • My Crazy Christmas Shopping at Hobby Lobby November 4, 2019

Get all the latest straight to your inbox

Footer

Instagram

Instagram post 18042969043211010 Raise your hand if these cold, dark mornings have you feeling a bit befuddled. 🙋🏻‍♀️ So far this week I’ve put a sweatshirt on backwards resulting in me getting a really good look at the inside of the hood and today I tried to put sweat pants on without taking my pajamas off first. 😂 #winning.

But, hey, at least I can take comfort in the soft glow of twinkling lights and having my halls decked for Christmas!

Today on the blog I’m sharing the details of my soft and simple mantel decorations and I’d love for you to stop by! ✨
Instagram post 18116596168021683 Happy Saturday friends! Can you believe that tomorrow is December 1?! I think it’s time for my annual gentle reminder about this month. I don’t know about you but, for me, December is a month of mixed emotions, ranging from joy-filled moments to ones that have me wanting to pull my hair out.

There are so many expectations and we put so much pressure on ourselves to create magical memories. And for years I have felt the added weight of wanting to make sure my family had opportunities throughout the month to grow in their relationship with Christ.

We celebrate advent and read all of the appropriate Baby Jesus books and encourage a spirit of generosity and heavily emphasize the real reason for the season.

But sweet friends, I want to remind you today that one month out of the year does not a strong relationship with the Lord make. December doesn’t define our faith in Christ.

For our kids or for us.

There are 11 other months in the year. 11 other months to live out our faith in front of our children. 11 other months to pray with them. 11 other months to help them wrestle through their questions and add depth to their walk with the Lord. 11 other months to encourage them to have generous spirits.

Let’s stop putting so much pressure on this one month out of the year. Let’s be surprised at the ways we might be able to celebrate the baby in the manger without a dozen countdown calendars. Let’s give our kids some grace when they are focused more on gifts because…well…they’re kids after all.

And while we’re at it, let’s give ourselves some grace too.

Grace when we think we should feel all the warm fuzzy feelings about Christmas but we really just want to take a nap.

Grace that reminds us that this month will soon be over and we will have a brand new year ahead of us.

A new year filled with big moments and little moments and everything in between.

A new year to draw even closer to our Savior.

My hope for you is that, as you head into this season, you will be given fresh perspective and that you will give yourself (and your family) permission to just ‘be’. ✨
Instagram post 17937591637321018 Have you ever longed to belong?

Have you ever felt like you are on the outside looking in at everyone else who seemingly have it all together?

Are you craving more peace in your heart and your home?

Well, today I’m having a conversation with @drbarbaralowe on her podcast and it could not be more timely with the holiday season now upon us!

You can find the link to it on her page and I’d love to hear your thoughts on it and what resonates with you! ❤️
Instagram post 17903771584388964 Confession...I’d rather have cranberry sauce smothering the turkey on my plate than gravy any day!! And this, this right here? Well it’s the best (and easiest!) cranberry sauce ever!! I eat on crackers and sandwiches and sometimes just by the spoonful. It’s so yummy! And I’m just so very thankful for all of you that I’m going to leave the recipe right here instead of making you go to the blog to get it. I promise you won’t regret having this on your Thanksgiving menu but be warned...you may find yourself up in the middle of the night sneaking some helpings of this deliciousness. Or maybe that’s just me!

Ingredients:
2 pounds fresh or frozen cranberries
2 oranges
2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup white wine.

Instructions:
Wash and pick over berries, removing any that are soft. Peel and dice oranges removing any seeds. Combine all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a full boil. Reduce heat and continue cooking until cranberries pop open and mixture is thickening.
For best flavor, prepare and let stand for several days before using.

Gobble, gobble!! 🦃
Instagram post 17846094718750175 Temperatures are dropping here in the Willamette Valley and I got our hot cocoa station set up just in the nick of time! My kids LOVE this sweet (literally!) spot in our house and my daughter added her own personal touch with the little sign on the wreath. I’ll be happily restocking ingredients over and over throughout the season as my kids and their friends make a pit stop here. We’re definitely ready to cozy up!! Do you have a hot cocoa or coffee station at your house? What are your must-haves for the perfect hot beverage? ☕️🎄
Instagram post 17880974047462626 It’s begun!! 🎄🎄 My best girl LOVES decorating the family room tree (we do a fresh tree in the living room after Thanksgiving) but she does NOT like me to take her picture while she’s doing it (see photo two). Ahhhh...preteens. 😂🤪 I’m just so grateful to have a buddy who is as obsessed with Christmas as I am and who still wants to be apart of it all with me!
Instagram post 17864348974529213 I'm struggling to find the right words on my book proposal for a book that I never thought I would dare to write. The words are in me, I just can't seem to get them onto the page. I'm so passionate about this message even though it is so different from anything I've ever done and might not be considered 'on brand'. And yet it's never been more clear to me that I'm supposed to keep moving forward. It's a message that might not be considered very 'popular' (this ain't a 'pull yourselves up by your bootstraps' kind of message about being a Christ-follower) but it's one that God has placed on my heart and in my very BEING and I have to get it out there.

But at every step of the way I find that the enemy of my soul tries to keep me silent and what should be so simple (writing two paragraphs giving an overview of the book or writing an outline) ends up being paralyzing. He whispers words into my ear that are lies tinged with just enough truth to tempt me to keep silent. “You're first book didn't sell well enough so why should any other publisher take a chance on you? They won't care that it wasn't really your fault." "You write a lot about home decorating so why would you have any authority to talk about scripture?” And that's how satan works...he is masterful in his deception, weaving our fears and insecurity into the lies so that we are much more likely to believe them. And if we believe them, we stop being obedient to the Lord and the callings He places on our lives.

But, I WILL NOT BE HINDERED. “Since the first hour in which goodness came into conflict with evil, it has never ceased to be true in spiritual experience, that Satan hinders us. He checks our importunity, and weakens our faith in order that, if possible, we may miss the blessing. Nor is Satan less vigilant in obstructing Christian effort. There was never a revival of religion without a revival of his opposition. What then? We are not alarmed because Satan hindereth us, for it is a proof that we are on the Lord’s side, and are doing the Lord’s work, and in his strength we shall win the victory, and triumph over our adversary." - Charles Spurgeon
Instagram post 18114202198050565 Happy weekend friends!! This has been one of my favorite kind of days today. The boys went and had some guy time and my daughter and I got some sweet girl time and now we’re all cozied in together at home enjoying just ‘being’. I’m doing some baking and dreaming about this year’s Christmas mantel. This photo is from a few years ago but it’s still one of my all-time favorites!

What’s been the best part of your day today? ❄️
Instagram post 18073546234147166 Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the way that leads to life, and only a few find it.”.
.
When I was a little girl we took a trip to Silver Dollar City theme park in Branson, MO. One of the attractions there is the Marvel Cave. The whole theme park was actually built right around the cave! I will never forget the feeling of descending into the darkness. We had to walk down a steep, narrow path and I could feel the rocky walls beginning to close in on me. From time to time, our guide would even have to call out for us to duck our heads so as not to whack them on rocks that were jutting out. And just when it felt like we had been walking forever; just when it felt the most narrow and the most dark; just when we were starting to get really weary from navigating this path, we turned the corner and found ourselves awestruck as we gazed at this enormous room. Everywhere we looked there were stalactites and stalagmites. Lights had been installed and they reflected off of these formations creating the most beautiful colors on the walls. There were pools of water in a shade of aquamarine I had never seen before and waterfalls flowing from upper levels. That long, winding, damp trek had been so very worth it. The descent into darkness had revealed light…and life!

My prayer for you friends, is that you will look at that narrow path with the small gate as an opportunity. It’s an opportunity to experience the kind of freedom that our souls are longing for. The wide and broad path of the world promises us a freedom that is fleeting and temporary. But at the end of the narrow path, there is hope and peace and life everlasting.

I’m choosing the narrow path. And in spite of the hardships, in spite of the challenges and the fears and the times that can feel as dark as the journey down into a cave, I wouldn’t trade a single minute of it.
Instagram post 17859128461559789 I was up half the night with a very sick kiddo so today I’m drinking ALL the coffee and my girl and I are going to hunker down and have a day at home to rest and recover. I absolutely hate it when my kids are sick but if there is a silver lining to it it’s that I get to do all of the fussing and caring and mama-ing that I don’t get to do as much lately now that they are tweens/teens. I’d prefer to not have a vomiting kid, but at least I get a whole day in the middle of the week to pour some extra love out on my favorite girl! And maybe we’ll both get a nap! 😴
Load More... Follow

Copyright © 2019 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2019 At The Picket Fence