Tuesday, November 27, 2007

silence...

Have you noticed how addicted our world is to noise? Everywhere you go, people are listening to their mp3 players, music blares over loudspeakers in stores, we turn on the radios in our cars- we can't get enough.

I've been thinking about this for a while and finally feel like I can write about it. Why are we so hooked on having noise around us? What is so wrong with being quiet? I love the quiet, in fact, I thrive on it and need it daily. I can't get enough. But I seem to be the odd one out. Here's what I think: we (and I mean all human beings, especially those living in developed nations) are afraid of silence. We don't want to know what we might find there.

Kinda like the monster under the bed, silence looms just beyond our understanding. We don't want to go there because what if we find out there is nothing? What if we find out there is something and we don't like it. What if we can't handle it? I think these questions keep people plugged in all the time, pumping their heads full of noise so they can't even hear the questions anymore.

But I love silence. I love time to just sit and have my head clear. I like to hear the world- birds singing, wind blowing, animals scurrying through a bed of fallen leaves. And when I am in silence, that is when I hear God. He can talk to us in silence and that is one of the main reasons the enemy keeps us up to our eyeballs in noise.

Recently, I had the privilege to attend a staff retreat with the church. Our pastor planned the morning as a time of mediation, literally, a quiet time. We were given the amazing opportunity to be quiet with God. I took the chance to walk in the woods (the retreat center was in Black Forest) and just listen. I didn't say much to God, I just let Him know I was there and ready to listen. It was a cold day, snow flurries had left a hint of white, and few others ventured outside. I walked for half an hour, sometimes resting on a swing, and just reveled in the blissful absence of hurry and worry and noise.

I'm going to share some of the things God showed me on that day, as well as the things He is still showing me, here on this new blog. I hope you will come with me and see. I hope you will share what you are learning as well. And mostly, I hope this is a place for quiet reflection. I encourage you to carve out a few moments of silence for yourself today- I know it will do you worlds of good.