Tuesday, May 29, 2012

When Silence is Deafening

A friend of mine noted that the quiet of the early morning hours made her wonder if she could enjoy life when it was no longer so hectic which prompted me to think about rest, quiet and soul health.

Sometimes silence is deafening. When we choose to be silent, we meet ourselves and our past there (thank you for that thought, Gay Hubbard). We may also meet God in the silence. Depending on the truths we know or perceptions we have of God (from the Bible, experiences with authority and our parents) we will either enjoy that meeting or run from it.

I used to keep busy to keep busy. I used a full schedule to avoid facing the pain in my heart. Healing took quite a process of education, revamping what I believe about God and myself and making tough choices that I had to work to live out. Now that I have lived in that place of health, I find myself enjoying silence more. I still enjoy activity and being with people. I still enjoy handcrafts, but the drive to do them is not as strong now. They are no longer a necessity, rather a joy.

Permission to be silent and to rest comes from a healthy understanding of God as our good Father and good Shepherd. When we believe the truth about God, meeting Him in the silence to speak truth to us is not intimidating and full of hope.

Read through the New Testament asking God to show you who He really is, not who you think He is. Take notes and learn. He will surprise you!  Brad Jersak has written a good book on having healthy conversations with God in quiet moments and his wife, Eden, has written a lovely book of ideas to start those conversations.

What do you do with silence? Are you at peace or in fear? Can you choose to face what you might find there?

For peace in solitude,
Linda


5 comments:

  1. A resounding "yes"! You know how our paths have paralleled through the years Linda. I was also addicted to busyness... in what I thought was what God and others expected. If I was going to be approved and hear "Well done good and faithful servant" at the end, I better get busy DOing. I had no idea how to BE. How to rest. How to abide, and allow the life of Jesus to move deeply so that out of my innermost being could flow rivers of living water! Through learning to listen to God's voice and allowing him to be my wonderful, wise counselor, he lovingly but accurately put his finger on some of those areas that I thought were needs. Those behaviors that were driving me. And he brought deep healing, which continues. Yes, he is GOOD. THIS is the essence of the gospel ("Good News") He is good news to my heart today.

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  2. The first thing that came to mind was the song by Kutless 'Word of God Speak'. In fact I just had to listen to it again. I'm finding my introverted self is more and more comfortable in the silence. My job doesn't allow time for any kind of holy silence and so when I'm off in the summer it is an opportunity to rest and listen. This summer is no exception. In fact I'm just now Listening and waiting to hear what God wants from me and for me. Good read Linda. I am also able to take the time to read meaningful blogs of people who have been influential in my life. :)

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  3. I love silence! Silence, to me, feels like a warm summer day. I can wrap myself in it for many hours at a time, or a whole day. It's tangible to me. It restores my soul.

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  4. I love silence, sometimes I wonder if it is ok to just be still and silent not especially focusing on God? is that the same thing?

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  5. Andrea, silence without a particular focus is restorative for many people (see Rebecca's comment). Vetting what we hear in the silence through the filter of God's love is important if our minds are bent on destructive thoughts. Some of us got started on that path through pain and that is why I mention the God-focus.

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