Life in Silence

Silence is an interesting companion. 

   In many situations it seems to glide along below the hustle and clamor of our daily lives, casually and unbegrudgingly taking the wayside to business. But on the other hand it is innocently looming, just waiting to be noticed. When the time comes for it to be known, (not be known as that would insinuate aggressiveness, a trait it never holds) the noise of the world peels back unnoticeably to reveal something that patiently waits its turn, but never demanding for attention. 

   This almost subservient attribute of silence often reminds me of interacting with a good friend, the kind of which you can go long lengths of time with minimal to no interaction without maiming its longevity. When you begin to palaver with this friend of yours which occasionally manifests itself differently for many but often for most it becomes a time to reflect, or more accurately a time to commune with life itself, you suddenly become aware of its presence, not just powerfully in that moment, but continually throughout all of life. Like an old friend this can often be an enlightening and refreshing experience, for their opinion offers much insight in regards to a moment or experience.

   Silence is similar in this regard. You also begin to find that the longer the bouts of time between conversations is, the more catching up there is to do. If these gaps of time become long enough you find that you require exponentially more time to catch up. Often those times of reflection seem refreshing yet often carry a sense of incompleteness or anxiety as in something unfinished. One finds that if they take the time to catch up frequently the time is more casual, relaxed, and altogether enjoyable. And with that comes a sense of peace.

    Let this be the charge, let us confidently welcome silence like an old friend and take the time to not only unpack, but also stare life right in the face. The more we frequent silence and acknowledge it the more it refreshes and clears the mind. If we do it too infrequently we often encounter more haste and anxiety to catch up than when we take the opportunity to spend time with and enjoy the quaint yet dense knowledge that silence will willingly offer.

    Instead of waiting so long that the idea of sitting alone with silence, and therefore life, causes us anxiety, let us strive to make it not the old friend, but a constant companion. One who's presence provides kindling to life, allowing it to burn passionately. 

Okay. Now that we got that out of the way I want to explain and digest my intentions a bit. 

   First of all, I want to give some context. I wrote the above thoughts on day last week in one very intense sitting. I realize that the content of it may not necessarily be ground breaking, but it is in the sense that it was an important experience for me. As I began to start writing this (and by this I mean the above section) I found the idea to kind of consume me. The more I wrote the more I had to go until the though was complete. The reason I would claim this groundbreaking was that in that moment I not only processed this thought mentally, but I could feel it at more core, burning and yearning for release.So I took the time to write it out. I wish I could give the experience justice, but words cant quite describe it. But in the simplest way I can say that it was surprisingly cathartic.

   Now at its surface it is not explicitly gospel orientated, but when I began to look closer i think at its core it very much is. To state it simply there is utmost importance in us taking the time to not just have a "quiet time" but to take the time to be silent and patient in God's presence. A lot of times he likes to speak to us in this time of quiet peace. For a pretty clear example lets take a look at an encounter Elijah had.

And he said, “Go out and stand on the mount before the LORD.” And behold, the LORD passed by, and a great and strong wind tore the mountains and broke in pieces the rocks before the LORD, but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire, but the LORD was not in the fire. And after the fire the sound of a low whisper.

(1 Kings 19:11-12 ESV)

 It was there in that quiet whisper (also translated 'thin silence') that He encountered the voice of God. Now I don't wan to try and look into this too far so as to avoid creating or saying things unbiblical. But I think I am safe in saying that one of the reasons I think God calls us to these times of silence is because there is an innate intimacy to silence. You can sit and talk to anyone for a long time, but a true mark of friendship is when you are capable of siting in each others presence comfortably and silently. 

I am going to wrap up by saying that there is so much power in silence and it is something I am working on a lot right now and putting a lot of focus towards it. So if you struggle with this don't worry, I am right there beside you. Just remember that our end goal is way more valuable than any other thing. May Christ be our life.

Goodbye for now. I love you all.


Oh, and make good choices! :P