Rediscovering Silence
The other night I almost had to laugh as I took in the scene that my husband and I painted in our living room. Both of us sat, laptops open on our laps, TV on, and phones at our side. We were the epitome of children of an age of technology like never before. We can talk, text, video chat, and Tweet, all from the comforts of our phone. And that’s a good thing…most of the time.
When was the last time that I was just quiet? No TV, no phone, no internet, no music, just…silence. It’s a little scary to realize that I may have to dig pretty far back to recall such a time. As a mom of two young boys, it is extremely rare for me to be found without the background noise of Sesame Street, a Veggie Tales CD, or the in-fighting of my sons. Can it be that the last time I remember being in complete silence was when I was not even awake to enjoy it?
Why are we afraid of silence? Do we think we’ll be more vulnerable in those moments where nothing can mask our true thoughts? Where our minds are too free to wander and lead us into some places we’d rather avoid? Do we fear that we’ll be exposed in the silence; that our real voice will be heard, and that we won’t like what we hear?
The problem is that we are sometimes so filled with noise and distraction, that we fail to be still and listen for God’s voice. The Bible compares God’s presence to “a gentle whisper” (1 Kings 19:12) and reminds us to “be still and know” that He is God (Psalm 46:10), but…do we? Are we so busy complaining about the lack of God’s voice in our lives, that we’ve simply forgotten how to listen?
Today, challenge yourself. Abstain from your normal routine of multimedia immersion, and simply…be still. I think you’ll be surprised to find that if you give Him room to speak, He will!