Move in Silence

Move in Silence

Sneak peek: Can we not tell the world all of our business?

I was on a plane in Istanbul to fly to Lisbon. It was 10:00am. Most of us flew for several hours prior from Bangkok. The last thing we needed to hear was noise. You could see the exhaustion on our faces. Before the plane could take off, a woman and her daughters started to take out their phones to film themselves.

“Guys, we made it to the plane!”

“Say hi to our mom!”

An elderly man took off his eye mask. He told them three words: “Shut up, girl!” I chuckled in shock because it was unexpected. Plus, his voice sealed the deal. Although this shouldn’t have been a laughing matter, seeing those ladies reminded me of how we have turned into a culture of oversharing information with everyone.

We’re in an Oversharing Culture

How many people have overshared details with you that weren’t necessary?

What about people who are trauma dumping on you, and it’s the first time you have met them? What about another podcaster who’s outing their bad relationships and explaining how dating sucks today? We’re in a world where folks don’t know how to move in silence. To put it bluntly, we don’t know how to shut up!

I’m an extrovert and I love connecting with people. This year, God has been teaching me more about being quiet. He’s shown me how to walk with Him first to seek wisdom instead of going to my friends, family, or social media.

What is Moving in Silence (and Why You Should Do It)

Moving in silence, or shutting up, is when you focus your attention on seeking God first, walking with Him, and letting Him guide you. This includes spending time with Him in prayer, reading the Bible, devotionals, journaling how you feel (I do this often) and taking action through faith.

Journaling in nature is a great way to connect with God. Plus, nature is very calming.

When you’re walking with God, He will tell you when to share something with people and when not to. He will tell you not to add those extra details. This type of silence scares people. Why? We like to share information to form relationships. When you’re moving in silence, you will talk a lot less. I’ve learned that some things are best to be nurtured in private.

Jesus was well-known for withdrawing Himself from the hordes of people and His own friends (i.e., disciples) to commune with the Lord. A well-known intimate moment is in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus knew His assignment on earth was to sacrifice His life for us. Imagine if He announced this to everybody around Him. They’d give a list of reasons as to why he can’t do that. They’d project their own feelings onto Him. Jesus decided to speak to God in silence and feel His emotions at that moment.

Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, “Sit here while I go over there and pray.” He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, “My soul is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep watch with me.” Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the ground and prayed, “My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken from me. Yet not as I will, but as you will.”

-Matthew 26:36-39 NIV

Well, isn’t moving in silence not having people around? Jesus brought three people who were vetted and trusted to walk with Him in the garden. When He needed some alone time, He separated Himself from His support group to truly hear what God needed to tell Him before taking action. What Jesus showed us is that we need to spend time with God alone and walk with Him. You can have a support system. However, those alone times are for God and you.

Why I Move in Silence Now

Reason #1: Spiritual Growth

These past six months have been very trying. I’m in a season where I don't need to be distracted. God has been showing me if I turn to Him first and believe in Him, then He can guide me with each step. This type of spiritual growth has brought me peace…most days. That doesn’t mean I am never worried. I do get anxious. I turned to God about it first. The type of peace I have most people won’t understand. I’ve had Christians question my peace. I don’t judge them because they’re just human.

“Why isn’t God blessing you right now?”

“You need to pray harder!”

“You need to pray like this!”

“Why are you so calm about this?”

What the Lord is teaching me is that He does come through, but it’s not on Brittany Time. How many of us claim to believe in God…until He doesn’t move in our timeline?

I can write another blog about that. Honestly, that could be an entire sermon.

Reason #2: Personal Transformation

I’ve been spending my quiet time growing. One of my growth areas was learning how to pray to God. I served on my prayer team at church where I prayed over people, but when it came to my own life, I could pray—but my prayers weren’t the right prayers. People tell you to make your prayers specific, but what about making your prayers more about God and less about you? I’ll give you an example. I used to pray like this: “Dear God, please give me ______ by _____. If you want what’s right for me, I need ______ by ________ date. Amen.”

Now, I pray like this: “Dear God, first thank you for providing ______ to me. Please forgive me for _______. I have _________ coming up. If this is what’s for me, in Your will, then give me the strength, mind, and spirit needed to do Your will. Remind me what is open only comes from You and what’s shut comes from You. Amen.”

Reason #3: Less Noise

I’m not on social media like that besides posting content occasionally. Trust me. I’ve had folks asking me why I don’t influence full-time and how I can turn my brand into a profit.

Others have encouraged me to have podcasts, books, etc. I choose not to because that’s now where God wants me to put my focus and energy. That doesn’t mean it may not happen. I’ve just learned in my silent time when God needs me to focus.

This is an example of “noise”. Noise are voices from people who may (or may not) have your best interest, and they project their beliefs onto you. This includes who you follow or what you watch online (including all those influencers you follow). If you spend time with God first, He will show you the path.

You will know when someone is telling you noise or wisdom. How? When God confirms something to you and someone else repeats that confirmation—that’s not noise. Please listen to them! Even when it’s not what you want to hear. It’s noise when someone tells you something, and you know it goes against what He wants you to do (and/or it goes against His word).

Reason #4: Strategic Advantage

I would love to live in a world where everyone is kind and loving. Yeah, that’s not reality. You do have haters around you (people who are outright against you). You do have moles around you. These are people who pretend to be your friend to gain information about you and use it against you later. You also have people who live in negativity or their own fears. They will discourage you from doing something God called you to.

I remember my decision to move to Seattle back in 2020. Before I decided to move there, I was interviewing for jobs out-of-state. I only shared this information with four people: my

My mother and I froze our butts off. The week I moved, Seattle got hit by a snowstorm. Thankfully, we made it to the Seattle Needle.

mother and my co-workers, who I could trust to keep my search in secrecy. My decision to be private about my job search wasn’t taken well by people. Some people felt they deserved to know. Others didn’t like the idea of me leaving them behind. When I received my offer, I celebrated with those same few people.

When I announced I was moving, so many people were ready to discourage me. When I didn’t listen, they turned to my mother. Professionally, some people told me that my move was risky and it wouldn’t work. Thankfully, my mother didn’t listen to them. Neither did I.

My mother will tell you it was painful seeing me leave, but she knew to trust God to protect me and get me where I needed to go. If I listened to people, I wouldn’t have completed the assignments God needed me to do. I wouldn’t have been exposed to starting ministry. I wouldn’t have been able to coach others who are transitioning into my industry.

Jesus is the Example

When I think of moving in silence, I turn to Jesus. Jesus had boundaries with His friends. He invited specific friends to be with Him during these intimate moments. When it came to time with God, it was one-on-one. Jesus shows us, despite our oversharing culture, you don’t need to tell everyone everything! Just focus on what God tells you to do and make your moves. You can have supporters along the way. However, you need to be selective when choosing your supporters. Even with your supporters, you don’t have to share every detail God shares with you. It’s okay not to overshare things with people.

Now that you know better, do better! Think twice before posting, sharing information, and details with people. It's okay to move in silence.

Until next time!

-Brittany