In the Land of Quiet
This poem was inspired by Sarah Clarkson’s new book, Reclaiming Quiet: Cultivating a Life of Holy Attention. In this book, she explores the meaning of quiet, how we can shape our days to invite quiet into our life and the gifts that come out of making this a daily recurring practice.
Reclaiming Quiet was so transformative for me that I chose my 2025 Word of the Year “quiet” because of it. This poem was born out of quiet, and I pray it invites you into the Land of Quiet where you may find rest for your world-weary soul.
. . .
In the Land of Quiet
By Haley Littlepage
In the land of quiet,
words fall to mist
and rise as prayers.
Dreams dapple through
trees as promises of
golden possibility.
Grief showers the ground
and flows into a roaring river
of hope.
But only in the land of quiet
can we find the treasures of
a soul refreshed.
It is not hard to get there
nor impossible to find,
you need only be still.
. . .
Dear Reader,
You’re still in control.
It’s an awfully noisy world we live in, isn’t it? The thrum of voices found in the infinite forms of media we surround ourselves with is overwhelming. It is next to impossible to feel any peace in this digital age.
Is this just the way life is now?
Or do we have a say in the volume of our lives?
I think we do.
To be truthful, the noise we experience is mostly self-inflicted. Smart phones, tablets, ear pods, laptops and televisions are either at our mercy or we are at theirs.
Technology addiction and the doom scroll is real. But it isn’t permanent or a habit that must be cemented in our lives. We are still in control.
Leading a Quiet Life
If you want to experience a quieter and more peaceful life, a life attuned to the voice of God then, you must enter the land of quiet.
It is only in quiet that you can wrestle with your grievances and anxieties, dream of your future and lift up prayer to the One Voice that really counts. Only in quiet can you hear Him.
But quiet isn’t necessarily silence or the subtraction of everything else. Quiet is a posture, an attitude that you can simply enter into in the chaos of your day. (Yes, even with children around.)
Take a breath, silence and tuck away your screens, look out your window, step outdoors or simply pause and lift up a prayer. Quiet and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding is at your fingertips.
Be still; knock and the door will open to you into the land of quiet.
