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I’ve been given the gift of quiet. And it is a gift, a rare one in our busy world. Because I am self employed, because I spend most of my days alone in my home, I am able to have a very quiet life. And I love it. But I’m weird like that. Silence drives a lot of people crazy. They fill up their minutes with loud music, news, sports games, video games, television shows, movies, social media. There is no end to all the noise. We are surrounded by it every moment.
I’m not knocking the noise. Maybe that’s a different gift. But for me, I need my quiet time. When I must endure a noisy environment for too long, I feel exhausted, discombobulated, out of sorts. Perhaps that is a weakness on my part. I’m not sure. But I am so relieved when I finally escape back to my beloved peaceful silence.
I do wonder, though, if some people might be afraid of silence because they don’t like their own company? Are some people nervous about where their minds may take them if they spend too much time alone? Being happily alone can take practice. Learning to control our crazy monkey brains is not necessarily natural. Meditation and prayer can be so helpful. I highly recommend it!
I’ve always been introverted; always gravitated toward quiet. So it is easy for me to preach about it. But I do think many of us would benefit from shutting off the noise sometimes, and spending more time with ourselves, and with God. Noisy lives can become shallow if we let the noise replace self reflection. We become addicted to the constant sensory input. We can lose the ability to think deeply if we never engage with our own minds long enough to get to the deep end of the pool.
I don’t want to just splash around in the shallow end of this life. I want to dive down as far as I am able to go, exploring this glorious creation, pondering eternity, seeking a forgiving Savior who has never stopped pursuing me. I believe those are most worthy endeavors. And those sorts of activities require times of silence.
Please understand, I do so love my family and friends. Nothing could replace time spent together, deepening relationships, caring for each other. And if you are one of those people that I take time to connect with regularly, know that I evidently love you very much! The older I get, the more I treasure those relationships. As is everything in this life, it is a balance to be achieved. May we all find our best balance.
But… sometimes… just SSSSHHHHHHHHH!
