silence
“We live, in fact, in a world starved for solitude, silence, and private: and therefore starved for meditation and true friendship.” ~ C.S. Lewis, The Weight of Glory
I've been on a quest to fill a small segment of my day with silence for several months in a row. Years ago I read a quote by someone far brighter than me that said something along the lines of, "As long as there is constant noise in the world, there will be an extinction of great thinkers in the world." I've hunted for the author, quite certain that I've butchered the quote. The idea remains and looms in my mind, always there waiting for a response.
If my life, full of noise and busyness, discards opportunities for meditation and true friendship, maybe that would explain some of the anxiety I've been crippled by in the last decade. Maybe it would help me to get my head around some troubling conflicts that I have yet to untangle.
Last year Dale and I moved from the basement with a huge TV, surround sound, and luxury recliners, to a cozy bedroom with two chairs, small side tables, and stacks of books. Every night after a few moments of Bible study and prayer with our children, we retire to our chairs and do the work God has set in our hearts to do. Many hours each week, we sit silently in pursuit of our train of study and thought without exchanging a word. I'm absolutely in heaven. I haven't watched a show on TV by my own bidding nearly all year. I don't even miss it. Granted, I've never loved TV, but I've been known to binge-watch Gilmore Girls or The Great British Baking Show in various seasons of my life. However, these precious hours of quiet have paid enormous dividends in our marriage, family, and the state of our souls.
When I'm driving in the car by myself, sometimes I shut off the noise and just drive. It quiets things on the inside. I'm not spinning eloquent prayers or deep intellectual philosophies, I'm just driving in the quiet. It seems too easy to have any value, but I'm telling you, the silence is good medicine.
For the believer, the quiet opens a door to hear the Spirit of God. Sometimes He speaks, and sometimes He doesn't, but the quiet is good. May you find some quiet amidst the noise in your world, dear one. And my your heart be full therein.
Lvb
I've been on a quest to fill a small segment of my day with silence for several months in a row. Years ago I read a quote by someone far brighter than me that said something along the lines of, "As long as there is constant noise in the world, there will be an extinction of great thinkers in the world." I've hunted for the author, quite certain that I've butchered the quote. The idea remains and looms in my mind, always there waiting for a response.
If my life, full of noise and busyness, discards opportunities for meditation and true friendship, maybe that would explain some of the anxiety I've been crippled by in the last decade. Maybe it would help me to get my head around some troubling conflicts that I have yet to untangle.
Last year Dale and I moved from the basement with a huge TV, surround sound, and luxury recliners, to a cozy bedroom with two chairs, small side tables, and stacks of books. Every night after a few moments of Bible study and prayer with our children, we retire to our chairs and do the work God has set in our hearts to do. Many hours each week, we sit silently in pursuit of our train of study and thought without exchanging a word. I'm absolutely in heaven. I haven't watched a show on TV by my own bidding nearly all year. I don't even miss it. Granted, I've never loved TV, but I've been known to binge-watch Gilmore Girls or The Great British Baking Show in various seasons of my life. However, these precious hours of quiet have paid enormous dividends in our marriage, family, and the state of our souls.
When I'm driving in the car by myself, sometimes I shut off the noise and just drive. It quiets things on the inside. I'm not spinning eloquent prayers or deep intellectual philosophies, I'm just driving in the quiet. It seems too easy to have any value, but I'm telling you, the silence is good medicine.
For the believer, the quiet opens a door to hear the Spirit of God. Sometimes He speaks, and sometimes He doesn't, but the quiet is good. May you find some quiet amidst the noise in your world, dear one. And my your heart be full therein.
Lvb
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