• Home
  • Privacy Policy
  • 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

February 10, 2015

In the Doldrums

Have you ever wondered where different sayings come from? My son received a really cool game for Christmas called ‘Word Teasers‘. (In the spirit of complete honesty let me clarify that his parents thought it fell in the ‘cool’ category while he thought it fell in the ‘educational’ category and those two categories don’t always cross over in an 11 year olds world!)

Essentially it is giving the background on all of those sayings, or idioms, which have become part of our everyday conversations. Like ‘raining cats and dogs’, ‘off the cuff’ or ‘penny for your thoughts’.

The other night I somewhat absentmindedly picked up the box of cards and began thumbing through them. It was fascinating to learn just how these phrases I use all the time really originated. Did you know that the phrase ‘chip on your shoulder’ comes from the early 1800’s where a young boy would put a chip of wood on his shoulder and then dare another boy to knock it off. If the second boy did knock it off then the two boys would fight each other? Or that to ‘read the riot act’ comes from England where the police were required to read a proclamation known as the Riot Act before they could break up a demonstration and arrest a crowd?

As I went through all of the cards in the box of word teasers, one particular phrase caught my eye.

In the doldrums.

It’s a saying I’ve used countless times and while I’ve always known that it had something to do with feeling down or depressed, I’ve never known how that phrase actually got it’s start.

You see, years ago, sailors noticed the stillness of the air when they got near the equator. They named this area ‘doldrums’. Frequently, there is no wind in this area for weeks on end and as a result, a ship caught in the doldrums can end up stranded.

They would find themselves stuck. A sailboat isn’t going to get very far without at least a little bit of wind.

After reading this I immediately felt myself understanding just how those sailors must have felt being caught in those doldrums.

So often we find ourselves in a place where we feel as though we’ve been stranded. We’re stuck. Not even the slightest hint of a breeze or a ripple on the water.

That place, that doldrum, can feel like the loneliest place on earth. Maybe it’s that so often stillness has a BFF that usually comes along with it named silence.

And silence is something I’ve freely admitted I’m not all that comfortable with.

There have been many seasons in my life where I have found myself simply staying afloat. I couldn’t even chart a course if I wanted to because there was no wind to carry me there. It is in those seasons when I find myself questioning God’s silence.

The waiting, the inactivity, can feel like some sort of punishment.

For me, waiting isn’t something I do with patience. Instead, I find myself almost frenetically trying to figure out what’s going to happen next.

What’s going to happen?

When will it happen?

How will I know if it’s the thing that’s supposed to happen?

When I find myself in the doldrums, all I’m usually doing is looking for a way out.

But what if we are supposed to look at the doldrums differently?

What if instead of watching and waiting for that breeze to come and carry us out of it, we are simply supposed to just…float?

In his book ‘My Utmost for His Highest’, Oswald Chambers talks about how we should really approach the seasons of silence.

He says, “Has God trusted you with His silence? A silence that has great meaning? God’s silences are actually His answers-Can you trust God like that, or are you still asking Him for a visible answer? – When you cannot hear God you will find that He has trusted you in the most intimate way possible-with absolute silence, not a silence of despair, but one of pleasure, because He saw that you could withstand an even bigger revelation. If God has given you a silence, then praise Him- He is bringing you into the mainstream of His purposes.”

Do you hear that my friends? The times of silence or doldrums in our faith don’t mean that we are being punished or that we are are just supposed to ‘sit tight’ until the plan is finally revealed.

“God’s silences are actually His answers”. 

There might not be a wave in sight for miles, but when you are sitting there in that boat, in the doldrums, you are still floating, right? Your boat isn’t sinking!

And think about what it means to have God trust us with His silence. It’s like He’s giving us a gift. A glimpse into His heart for us.

What if we looked at the doldrums as an opportunity? A chance to rejoice in the fact that He sees us as capable of handling the seasons with no answers. The times of silence.

Imagine being on the high seas for weeks on end. Tossed this way and that as you face enormous waves which threaten to overturn your boat. Then suddenly, you find yourself in a place of complete and utter stillness. You literally CAN’T go anywhere!

While on the one hand you might be filled with worry trying to figure out how on earth you were going to get out of there, on the other hand, wouldn’t there be a part of you that secretly relished the opportunity to just stop?

If God’s silences are actually His answers, we must learn to trust that they are His BEST for us in that moment.

Maybe they are protecting us from some unforeseeable situation. Maybe they are preparing us for a new opportunity.

Or maybe He just wants us to slow down.

To stop and simply enjoy His silence…right there in the doldrums.

Vanessa signature

 

21 Comments Filed Under: Devotionals

Subscribe

Get the latest goodness straight to your inbox!

Previous Post: « Kitchen Desks Outdated? Say It Ain’t So!
Next Post: Decorate a coffee table like a boss on a budget! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Cathy says

    February 10, 2015 at 3:13 AM

    Thanks for your thoughts. I don’t usually finish most of the blog post , but, this one spoke to me. We have recently lost a brother & someone I know seems lost in despair not able to let go and move on. I am going to send this along to them & see if they will hear gods silent voice.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:43 PM

      I’m so, so sorry for the loss of your brother Cathy and for the person in your life who seems to be lost in despair. I will be praying for them and for you too!

      Reply
  2. Vanessa says

    February 10, 2015 at 4:02 AM

    I didn’t know the meaning of that word either, well it’s true meaning. I can relate to this post. In standing and waiting it can be hard for our flesh, but we have to remember to continue to trust Him in those moments we are waiting.

    Reply
  3. Beverly Cook says

    February 10, 2015 at 5:52 AM

    Such depth to this post this morning. Let’s just say it is truly making me think…

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:42 PM

      So glad I could provide some food for thought Beverly! Thanks for coming by!

      Reply
  4. Shirley@Housepitality Designs says

    February 10, 2015 at 6:55 AM

    Have always heard that term but never really truly understood what that meant…I thought I did, until now. Always enjoy your truly inspirational posts….and gives new meaning to Silence Is Golden.

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:42 PM

      Thank you so much Shirley! 🙂

      Reply
  5. Julia G. says

    February 10, 2015 at 7:17 AM

    I so needed to read this today. Thank you for posting and let your son know that his gift has blessed others today!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:41 PM

      Thanks Julia!

      Reply
  6. Vicki says

    February 10, 2015 at 7:25 AM

    I love the lesson! Thank you! I was just reading Utmost last night. I love it.

    Reply
  7. Anne says

    February 10, 2015 at 7:53 AM

    Beautiful post Vanessa!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:41 PM

      Thank you sweet friend!

      Reply
  8. Jeanine says

    February 10, 2015 at 10:02 AM

    I love your posts! Really look forward to them. I loved this post today. Didn’t know the true meaning of that word til now. Thank you for explaining it.
    Have a blessed day!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:40 PM

      Thank you so much Jeanine!

      Reply
  9. barb says

    February 10, 2015 at 10:53 AM

    Truth be told (!) I dont usually finish much that is a ‘lesson’ especially if it has God in it – not that I have anything against God…just a long story like many of us have.

    But today, as others have said, your post really spoke to me in an effort to work my way out of a ‘doldrum’ (do doldrums come in the singular?) I dont even understand – perhaps it will become clear as I become silent…

    Thank you for the many things you do!

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:39 PM

      Barb you are so right…we definitely all have a long story and our relationships with God can be so complicated, right? I know my faith has definitely gone through big highs and big lows. I want you to know that I will be praying for you as you work through this season of ‘doldrums’ in your own life. And know that you aren’t alone in it! Thank you for sharing with me and for your encouraging comment. 🙂

      Reply
  10. Julie says

    February 10, 2015 at 1:59 PM

    Thanks for this Vanessa. Between your post and a devotion my friend gave me on The Power of Relinquishment, I see this as a message to me to be patient and allow God to do his work in me and for me to be patient. I think sometimeswhen we ask for an answer we need to realize that “silence is his answer” .

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:36 PM

      Patience is not something I’m very good at Julie so I completely relate! Thanks so much for stopping by and for leaving a comment. 🙂

      Reply
  11. KMcG73 says

    February 11, 2015 at 1:52 AM

    Thank you for sharing such a fresh perspective Vanessa! I usually tear through 60+ decorating, etc blog emails per morning, but yours really gives me pause to read entirely, and time to reflect.

    These posts are so wonderful, different and refreshing, I hope you consider putting a collection of them together in hard copy someday! (that’s a selfish request on my part, a book would be great to carry around, and easier for reference than trying to access my bookmarks/email away from home)

    Thank you again!
    Karen 🙂

    Reply
    • At The Picket Fence says

      February 11, 2015 at 7:35 PM

      Karen I cannot even begin to tell you just how much your comment means to me!! Putting a book together is definitely a dream of mine and your words were just the affirmation I needed that perhaps one day that dream will come true. Blessings to you!! 🙂
      Vanessa

      Reply
  12. Claire @ A Little Claireification says

    February 15, 2015 at 7:04 PM

    Love this post, Vanessa. I had no idea where that phrase came from – usually we do know the origins of phrases around here and I’m sharing this with Mr. Claire too.
    And I agree with the commenter above – you should write an ATPF Devotional or something!
    I’ll be first in line.
    xoxo

    Reply

Leave a Reply to At The Picket Fence Cancel reply

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

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Search This Blog

Get the book!

Invite Vanessa to speak at your event!

Stay updated!

Must Reads

Recent Posts

  • Why We’ve Chosen Vacations Over Projects April 26, 2022
  • A New Look for the Family Room March 1, 2022
  • Christmas Kitchen and Family Room December 19, 2021
  • Christmas Home Tour Part One December 10, 2021
  • Easy Hot Cocoa Station November 21, 2021

Footer

Stay Connected!

Instagram

The month of June is coming to a close and it has The month of June is coming to a close and it has been JAM packed! The highlight by far though was my son's graduation from high school. When I started blogging, he was only 6 years old and some of you have been apart of my community here for that entire time. Now, he's 19 and there is a reason parents are told not to blink because the years truly do go faster than I ever could have imagined. He has become such an incredible young man we are so excited to see how God is going to unfold the next chapter of his life. We celebrated with parties galore (SO many open houses to attend!) and made memories we'll forever cherish. My mama heart was filled to bursting with the joy of it all! Now we're taking some time to just enjoy these warm, summer days making even more memories because, when you’re at this stage of parenting, you know all too well how much you need to grasp every opportunity to spend time together.

I hope your summer is off to a great start too dear friends! 🪴
“And so with the sunshine and the great bursts o “And so with the sunshine and the great bursts of leaves growing on the trees, just as things grow in fast movies, I had that familiar conviction that life was beginning over again with the summer.” F. Scott Fitzgerald.

Happy first day of summer dear friends!! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I posted something new here but life has been crazy. I’ll have some new photos of house projects and life events to share with you soon but, got now, I’m just going to enjoy this gorgeous first day of summer after our ridiculously long, wet spring. ☀️
“It was June, and the world smelled of roses. Th “It was June, and the world smelled of roses. The sunshine was like powdered gold over the grassy hillside.” (Maud Hart Lovelace) 

Welcome June!
“No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom “No man is entitled to the blessings of freedom unless he be vigilant in its preservation.”
General Douglas MacArthur

Grateful today and every day for those who were vigilant to the point of death in the preservation of our freedom. May we honor their sacrifice by being vigilant too. #memorialday
“Those who know your name trust in you, for you, “Those who know your name trust in you, for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you.” Psalm 9:10
This is one of my most favorite projects from my b This is one of my most favorite projects from my book Life in Season! 

Because, if heaven has a fragrance, I’m fairly certain it smells like lilacs.

I think that somewhere along the way the verse in the Bible that said, ‘heaven will smell like lilacs’ just got lost in translation. But it HAD to have been in there at some point, right?

When I bury my head in the blossoms (which I absolutely MUST do every single time I walk past them), I immediately feel a stirring in my soul.

It seems like I wait forever for my lilac tree to bloom. Every year I anxiously watch as the buds begin to form on the branches and then when the blossoms finally burst forth I begin that agonizing process of deciding the absolute perfect moment to snip them and bring them inside.

And then, after all of that waiting and watching it’s just over…done. Because, unlike heaven, lilacs don’t last for an eternity. So, making my own lilac room spray seemed like the perfect way to enjoy their fragrance long after the blossoms have faded.

Here’s how to make it! Ingredients: Water, Vodka, Lilac fragrance oil. Directions: Fill spray bottle with 50/50 ratio of water to vodka. Add 12 drops of lilac oil. Give it a shake, spray and if the scent isn’t strong enough, simply add a few more drops of lilac oil.

Once you’ve made this lilac scented room spray you will be very tempted to spray it in every room in your house. And someone may want to use it in the bathroom to cover up other less…ummmm….pleasing aromas.

But, do not, I repeat do NOT, let them.

You’ve captured the fragrance of heaven in a bottle and you wouldn’t want to go and tarnish it now would you? 😉
We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most We had two back to back days of sunshine (the most we’ve had in a LONG time) and now we are back to pouring rain. This has officially confirmed what I’ve know to be true for awhile now.

I’m a MUCH better version of myself when the sun is shining! 🤪 So I’ll just be over here today plotting and planning how my husband and I can be snowbirds someday when the kids are out of the house.

If you could spend your winters (and apparently most of spring too!) in any part of the country, where would it be?
Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of Happy weekend sweet friends!! We’ve had a LOT of rain lately (which is saying something when you live in Oregon) and I’ll admit that it’s affecting my moods a bit. I feel like I’m dragging and struggling to find the energy to get stuff done. So don’t mind me if I’m over here looking at photos of my garden in the summertime and finding that it keeps me hopeful about those days to come. They will come, right?! 🤪. 

What are your favorite plants that you look forward to seeing in the summer?
We’re going to be giving our laundry room a make We’re going to be giving our laundry room a makeover soon. It’s LONG overdue! In fact, the folks from the counter company were just here taking measurements. While we have made some simple, inexpensive updates over the years, it still has many of the original elements from when the house was built in 1992.

Two of our bathrooms are also in need of major makeovers. And we’ve saved up enough money over the years to tackle those projects. But, for the most part, we made the decision to use the bulk of that money in another way. While we knew that it was financially wise to invest in our house, we also knew that the greatest investment we could make was in our children. 

I’ll admit, there are times where I see other people doing massive overhauls of their entire home in a matter of months and I feel a prick of envy. But, we decided that if our choice was between waiting a bit longer to enjoy a renovated bathroom or going on adventures as a family, we would choose adventures every time. And we don’t regret that decision for a single second. It’s not that we haven’t tackled home projects (we’ve done a lot!). It’s just that it’s been a slow and steady process. 

Most recently, we let our son pick where we would travel for spring break since this is his senior year of high school and we are trying to make up for lost time. With so much of life ‘paused’ for two years, we have appreciated these moments more than ever. And, since he’ll be heading to college in the fall, we are very aware of how important it is to spend this time together while we still have a modicum of control over everyone’s schedules.

We have many years left to remodel our home but only so much time left to make memories with our children.

And, while I’m always happy to look around my home and see rooms that are updated and more reflecting of our style, it doesn’t compare to the joy I feel when I look around my home and see the people I love the most who have been shaped by the many adventures we’ve experienced together.
Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and h Happy Saturday!! After endless days of rain (and hail and snow) we are finally getting some sunshine and warmer temperatures. I’ll be honest, it’s really affected my spirits having one gloomy day after the next. So this is a much needed reprieve. Our cherry trees are showing off outside my kitchen window and we plan to get outside and make the most of these days while we have them.

What’s the weather like where you are?
Load More... Follow
Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2022 · Divine theme by Restored 316

Copyright © 2022 At The Picket Fence