It’s a sunny Thursday afternoon and I’m sitting on the floor of Kalee Stedman’s living room, sipping a cup of tea and running my fingers through the textured rug on her living room floor as light pours in from the window.
It is an image I’ve seen before. Except now I’m sitting in Kalee’s house instead of a dorm room like when I first met her.
Her baby, Ben, balances his attention between a set of toy blocks and trying to yank the dangling tea bag out of my mug. A recent Union graduate, the doors of Kalee’s home have continually been opened to friends, fellow Christians seeking community, and tired, confused college students like me, seeking a little advice and understanding.
Sitting in the floor of Kalee’s living room, Ben proudly toting around my car keys, wobbling a few steps, and then plopping himself on the floor again, I feel at peace. Away from the business of campus and buzzing Outlook notifications, Kalee and I bounce between talking about our ever-changing lives to proudly smiling at Ben. He’s just learned how to clap and we’re thoroughly entertained.
As we sip on coffee and tea and chase Ben around the living room, I find myself thinking about what it looks like to invite people into your ordinary. As Ben babbles loudly, I think about the idea of living a quiet life.
While living quietly is counter-cultural, Paul urged the early church to live a quiet life thousands of years before our fast-paced, technological world.
“And 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 be dependent on nobody.” – 1 Thessalonians 4:11-12.
It’s been thousands of years since Paul wrote these words, so why do Christians still struggle with this biblical imperative of living quietly? Amid mega churches and mega platforms, is living quietly even possible?
When it seems impossible to lead a quiet life in 2022, I’m thankful for quiet moments in quiet homes with people like Kalee who embody this biblical imperative daily.
“In a lot of ways, I think Jesus lived a quiet life, you know,” Kalee said as we began to talk about serving the Lord in every moment.
I know what she means. Jesus changed the entire direction of human history, but he was a humble carpenter from a normal family in a small town called Nazareth. His ministry was marked by unsuspecting moments in unsuspecting towns.
Jesus was a humble warrior, yet Christian culture continues to advance towards “bigger is better” ideals, craving accolades and recognition.
But it is often the quiet, unsuspecting moments of life that are the most influential. Often the moments that carry the most weight are the ones that go unnoticed, the moments that will never be documented on social media or celebrated at award ceremonies.
“You never know the impact of a small moment,” Kalee said. “You can influence people in a general way…but it’s not the same as having a person who knows you and you know them.”
Some Christians will be called to foreign mission fields in persecuted countries and church plants in impoverished cities. That is noble. Some Christians will also be called to brew cups of coffee in suburban homes and share the gospel as they wash the dishes. That is also noble.
Kalee began to share with me the ways she incorporates evangelism into her everyday life. I store her wisdom away like a student furiously scribbling on a note pad.
“I try to get together like this with people or go for walks with other young moms and just like share my normal life with people,” Kalee said. “It’s a place where it’s more real and feels more vulnerable.”
From lunch dates to chatting over unfolded baskets of laundry, I sit on her living room floor the recipient of a quiet life filled with blessing and intentionality.
As we pioneer the age of oversharing, living quietly isn’t normal. When friends are mapping out their lives on Pinterest, browsing airfare for a backpacking trip across Europe and posting every aspect of their life on social media, the idea of living quietly is absurd. In a world of self-glorification, keeping to ourselves is ludicrous.
But it is often the simple moments of sharing a meal together or watching your friend’s baby learn to walk that mean the most.
Sitting in Kalee’s home, I see an example of the life Paul implored the early church to live.
Looking at my reflection in the mud-colored cup of tea in my hands, I am thankful for the quiet moments. Having just been given so much wisdom, I realize perhaps what Paul meant all along:
It is often the quiet life that has the most impact.
“You never know the impact of a small action,” Kalee says to me. “Do what the Lord’s calling you to do…every day, faithfully.”
