Harnessing The Silence

 

        Have you ever noticed that people don’t talk to each other anymore when you’re in a doctor’s office, or anywhere where ‘waiting’ is an essential part of the journey?  Even at the vet office when an animal is getting a check up, conversation is stilted and often abrupt. It’s like people don’t know how to socialize anymore.

I tend to be the odd person who will attempt to start a conversation with people in a long line at the cash register, or waiting in a doctor’s office….unless they are honed in and focused on their digital device, which is often just a game to pass the time.

Even in a restaurant people will have their phones right beside their plates so that if it pings they can take care of the message immediately.  I admit, I get horribly frustrated.  It's like the person across the table--with whom you're sharing a meal, is not nearly as important as the person sending the text you're getting from your phone. 

Other people will have some kind of noise in their home, like the TV or something to drown out the silence.  It almost seems like quiet is too threatening, and intrusive to the way we want to live.  I’m the reverse!  I want the quiet and can’t think if it’s noisy! 

I like music, but even with that, if I’m trying to focus on something, even that noise is a distraction!  

Some will say we’re afraid of our thoughts if it’s too quiet. I wonder if that’s true?  When it’s quiet, our thoughts come to the surface…our fears, doubts, questions and more.  I wonder if we think about those things we’re afraid we’ll somehow expose of what we don’t want others to know; or are afraid to even know about ourselves?

For me quiet is a place of peace.  It’s a place where I can find myself.  The quiet allows me to connect with God at times where I couldn’t, if it were ‘noisy.’  I like my quiet times when my mind wanders all over the place; sometimes flitting in so many directions, it seems like a cobweb, with absolutely no connectivity! 

But many times when my mind is jetting off somewhere, it’ll land on something I can seriously think about, write about, or even pray about.  I like the opportunity to work through the tangle and see where it leads me.  

It seems like in the silence is where I learn to trust God.  I know God can still the storm, both a physical one and the one in my heart when it’s fighting to make sense of loneliness, restlessness, impatience and a desire to make a difference.  It gets so twisted inside my head, I have to let Him sort it out.  

      But there is power in the Holy Pause.  God has the ability to calm me in the midst of chaos.  I still quake often when things go sideways, but I know if I’m steady in the ‘quiet time’ with Him, the meltdowns are a lot less dramatic!  

Photo Credit: Patients waiting using Social Media 

Photo Credit: People in Restaurant on Social Media 

Photo Credit:  Noise at home 

Photo Credit: Silence 

Be Still And Know That I Am God

  I watched the video of Ilia Malinin skating to the song ‘Fear’ by NF.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KqfLVv9Rqtg&list=RDKqfLVv9Rqtg&start_radio=1    The performance was incredible, as was the music. The lyrics  (to me) describe an overwhelming fear of the darkness that’s beginning to knock at his heart and mind’s door, as the world around him is caving in.  He cries out to God as he’s spiraling in the depths of despair. He’s lost his will, his joy and everything that ever mattered to him. Oddly enough, this sounds a bit like Job from the Bible.

SOCIAL MEDIA OVERLOAD

Our world is filled with noise from all sides and we don’t know what to do with it.  We have constant social media posts which keep our eyes, ears and mind in continual motion; news from all sources that rarely focus on anything positive, our phones which ding and ping with texts, and videos and political coverage which is overwhelming.  Add to this the time spent playing games and scrolling on our devices, means it never stops.  All this noise and constant movement doesn’t allow for a moment to rest our minds.

                                                                              SO MUCH NOISE 

I read recently an article that suggests this overwhelming of our minds could possibly be the catalyst for some of the mental illness phenomenon across our country.  Even the words from the song Ilia Malinin was skating to was someone struggling against the noise in his mind!

      We are inundated with negativity, the constant bewailing of all the ills of whoever is posting on social media, lies that infiltrate what we hear and read in the news because it’s skewed to the perception of the announcer, or a vindictive person who can’t tell right from wrong.  What if ‘stillness’ could be the best medicine for mental illness? 

WEAK AND VULNERABLE

Our bodies, when pressed with continual fatigue will falter.  Our immune system becomes weaker, leaving us vulnerable for illnesses, breaks and bruises, causing heart attacks, migraines and a huge host of other symptoms directly related to the over use and lack of care, for our bodies!  It isn’t something we planned on; we just go, go, go, because that’s the expectation of society.  Busy means productive.  Productivity means progress. Progress means a bigger paycheck, a chance to climb another rung on the proverbial ‘ladder’……

OUR MINDS EXHAUSTED

Could our minds perhaps have the same dilemma?  With the negativity in our
world, compounded with the stress of expectations in our workplace, our day to day lives, to our schedules, families, extracurricular activities, and to-do lists, could we be causing overload to the point of break down?

BE STILL

But then there’s the single verse from Psalm 46:10 which says, ‘Be still and know that I am God.’  I’m one of those people who find it difficult to just slow down.  While I’m not into all the media hype and other noises that could cloud my day, slowing down is hard for me.  I write, think, and seem to process all the time.  It seems there is always something to be preparing, to write about, to share!  

  Yet, God whispers ‘Be still’.  Perhaps on those days when I’m feeling a little overwhelmed with what I’m working on and God whispers those words…’Be still’… I need to just stop and listen…. What’s He telling me?  What does he want to tell me? Am I listening?

'BE STILL AND KNOW THAT I AM GOD'

Are we missing the moments with God that are simply an invitation into His presence, where we can find calm, peace, fullness, and ease the sense of striving?  What would happen, if literally, when we feel a bit overwhelmed, or hear his whisper to ‘be still’ we took a deep breath and for just sixty seconds, invite God to take control and allow Him to release the tension that’s threatening to pull us under?

When we do this, we are allowing God to work in our lives.  That's presence.  God does not tremble at the noise around us.  He has total control and wants us to allow his power to reign as only He can, offering us calm. 

        ‘Be still’…and know He is God!

Photo Credit: Man Ice Skating

Photo Credit: Social Media Overload 

Photo Credit: So Much Noise 

Photo Credit: I Need A Break!

Photo Credit: "Be Still And Know That I Am God'

In God's Time

I read a devotion this morning about ‘God doing something new’, and it caused me pause.  Having lost my husband over a year ago, I’ve struggled some with ‘what do I do now?”  I feel like I’m in this ‘in-between place’ which is hard to describe.  On some days I’m in a tunnel which hides both the entry and the exit.  Other days I see a glimmer of sunshine on one end and gives me the faith and hope I need to keep moving forward, yet I’m not there yet!

WAITING IS HARD

Waiting is hard and doing something while we wait, which we believe is the ‘right thing’, yet still undefined, can be a bit intimidating!  Oddly enough, however, I don’t really feel like I’m floundering; just waiting.

We live in a culture trained by microwaves, overnight shipping and instant results from the computer, which runs counter to waiting….especially if it seems excruciatingly slow. Biblically, this is exactly as it can happen.  Joseph endured years of imprisonment before God revealed his purpose.  The disciples, great followers of Jesus didn’t understand all of Jesus’ teaching until after the Resurrection!  God doesn’t live on our time line; He has His own, and it often runs counter to our current culture. He is not in a hurry!

TRUSTING IN GOD'S TIMING

I admit, there are days when I think, it’s been over a year and still I’m just ‘here’.  I’m not crying everyday, and that’s a plus; I am able to finally write again; and my heart is healing, of that I’m certain.  But I’ve asked God again and again, “What am I supposed to be doing?  or Where do I belong?”  Finally came the moment when I said,  ‘Okay, God I don’t know what you’re doing or how you’re going to do it, but I thank you in advance!”  And even after saying that, I wonder how long ‘it’ will take until I know how everything is going to turn out!  Things just work so slowly!

LEARNING

I think I’m learning that God doesn’t move fast—or at our speed because it’s not about ‘settling, being in control, or even about accomplishment’ . — It’s about transforming me into the person he wants me to be, for what ever service he wants me to offer!  Preparation is a process; not a waste of time.  Even Jesus waited thirty years before he fulfilled his calling….to the cross!  Why should I/we be any different?  I heard it said once, ‘God moves at the speed of wisdom, not urgency.’  

Waiting stretches faith (and ultimately deepens it), creates dependence (removes the ‘I can do it myself’ syndrome), exposes impatience (I’m there sometimes), and develops active trust (I’m trying real hard to be here!)

My greatest fear, I think, is missing God’s timing!  God’s plan for growth and development feels slow, and sometimes inconsistent.  But he wants my surrender, not my grumblings!  His plan for my life is not an accident; it’s something he’s planned since the beginning of time.  He knows more about me than I know about myself.  It’s not even about me, it’s about Him!  

HAVING FAITHFUL AND TRUST

It’s about being faithful and trusting that God knows the beginning from the end.  He’s the Alpha and the Omega, and He has a plan for his Kingdom.  He knows exactly what He wants from me and it’s up to me to allow that molding, maturing and growth to be done in his Sovereign will, and in his Kingdom time. It’s in this place ‘God will do something new’ and I will be ready!

Photo Credit: Preparing For God's Service 

Photo Credit: Light at the end of a tunnel 

Photo Credit: God Is Good  

Hurry And A Life With Margin

  Whenever I consider the very idea that Jesus never rushed, I can’t help but get a tiny grin on my face.  Somehow with all Jesus did, knowing he was never in a hurry, just somehow blows my mind!

I admit there are days when I have a slower gait, slower mind set and am seemingly in no hurry at all to get things done.  But I really don’t get much done on those days.  That wasn’t case for Jesus.  He always accomplished so much—at least it seems so.  

I suppose it depends on what ‘accomplished’ means.  For me, it’s staying busy and getting all those things on my usually, way too long, to-do list done so I can cross
them off.  But am I really accomplishing anything….important, or am I just being ‘busy’?  Would it matter at all if those things on my list waited for another day, week or never get done at all?  Who would even care?

Depending on the ‘thing’ I would eventually care, because I like things neat and tidy.  But I wonder…do I get so preoccupied with getting my ‘list’ done, that I hurry through my early morning devotional and time spent with God, ------just so I can have the satisfaction of crossing my 'to-dos' off my list?  If this is true, my priorities are totally off! 

I’ve been reading about how Jesus never rushed!  ….Never in a hurry.  Even when he knew Lazarus was sick, he didn’t hurry to help him.  But he did have a plan.   Mary and Martha were hard pressed to imagine why Jesus, in their perspective, came too late to heal Lazarus, since he had already died.  Jesus’ plan of resurrecting Lazarus was way better than just healing him.  The impact of that miracle resonates with us even today!

Along with not rushing, is the very idea of resting.  Now that’s a tough one.  Resting for me means taking five minutes for a meal (especially now since I eat alone with Charles’ passing), and getting right back to it!  It’s so very difficult for me to just sit down and ‘be’.  I seriously struggle with that.  Somehow the idea of doing ‘nothing’ seems wrong.  I’m not being productive; I’m being lazy, I’ve got idle hands—what am I to do with them?! — Especially since in Proverbs 10:18 it talks about not having idle hands!

But God calls us to rest, because we are human and need rest.  Even He, on the seventh day after all the creating he did, six days before, took a day of rest.  What’s interesting is the idea of spending time with Him when we rest.  Even if it’s just going out and enjoying a walk in his creation!  I’m a quilter, and one of my favorite times for prayer is when I’m quilting.  It’s often quiet and a wonderful time to ponder thoughts and relax in the ‘presence of the Lord.’

What a gift that is.  Can you imagine what a life lived at the pace of Jesus would even look like?  I think it would be incredible!  We live our lives, it seems, in continued constant motion.  It rarely stops.  It inhibits growth within ourselves, it stunts relationships, devastates marriages, confuses children and exhausts the best of us to utter burnout sometimes!

As mentioned, I have a hard time s.t.o.p.p.i.n.g —just taking time to rest!  Once when I sit, I feel guilty because there are still too many things left on my list to do!  Perhaps the place to start is to make a smaller list!  Some have suggested to choose three things — only three of the most important things that need doing in any given day and do just those.  

       I’ve found, honestly when I do that, I’m a much happier (and less tired) person!  When I can finish the ‘work’ on my list by 2 or 3 o’clock in the afternoon, and then just enjoy myself for the rest of the day, it’s delightful!  I can actually sit down and read a book, study if I choose to, paint a picture, play music, write a letter, call a friend, and on and on.

I understand not everyone can finish their day’s work by mid afternoon.  But the idea is to deliberately set aside time to just be!  Do something that is relaxing and pleasant to recharge your tired mind, body and soul.  Now that’s a great gift!

Photo Credit: Slowing Down

Photo Credit:  To Do Lists

Photo Credit: Stopping For Rest 

Photo Credit: Living Life Slow

Photo Credit: Enjoying Life Slowly  

Less Noise; More Jesus

          There are times when I climb into bed at night, and it’s like the sun is shining brightly in my brain!  It’s awake and alive and motoring at 90 miles an hour! I flit from one place to another and in a moment can’t recall what I was thinking of before this last thought!  The topics were as random as spaghetti sauce and snow! Sometimes they are worrying or anxious thoughts, other times ideas and things I hope I remember in the morning.  Other times, there seems to be no logic to the places my head goes at all!

SLEEP REFUSES TO COME

I toss and turn, trying to dim the blazing light that refuses to settle in my brain.  I try counting sheep (that almost never works!). I pray over every one I can think of.   I try to recall alphabetically all the names of Jesus, (this one works most of the time, but not always) but finally I fall into a restless sleep that seems to overtake me all night.  Ultimately this often causes me to wake up as tired—or sometimes more tired, than I was before I crawled beneath the covers the night before!  

Am I the only one who deals with this?  Somehow I doubt it.  Our world is moving at a frantic pace and it’s hard to process it, even as we move through our day.  By the time we want to go to sleep, it’s like our brain keeps running in an effort to catch up!  

We’ll replay regrets, rehearse and relive our worst-case scenarios, dissect everything we did during the day—what we missed, what we wish we’d said or did, what we hope no one noticed, and imagine all kinds of absurd things we think people either saw or think we did! And then add all the social media posts we saw or read during the day, the news overload, and what we didn’t accomplish that’s going to make tomorrow even more difficult, our financial crisis, and on and on!  

TRYING TO FIGURE IT OUT

We struggle to sort through fact and fiction while trying to focus on truth, but the lies interrupt because they shout louder!  We confuse our thinking with what we know and even have control over!  

                                                                              A SPIRITUAL WAR

Drowning out the noise, and surrounding our minds (and thoughts) to Jesus can be literally an all out spiritual war, because that’s the last thing Satan wants to have happen.  Mental clutter steals peace!  We are told in God’s Word that renewing our minds is important.  But it’s how we renew them that matters.  

We’ll never  have any kind of mental peace if all we hear is negativity from TV or read all about all the nastiness, back biting, downright hatred and other forms of evil on our computers!  Even newscasts are a huge measure of everything bad that’s going on all over the world!  We are urged to stay on top of all this nastiness because we need to be informed!

On top of this is the very graphic, weekly shows we can watch, which will lead our minds down diabolical paths!  It’s an anomaly to actually find a show which promotes goodwill.  Add to all the fake news about stars and events that haven’t even really happened, we can easily see, ‘ugly news sells!’

Renewal of our minds can only be found in the scriptures!  When we know God’s Word, we can ‘rightly divide’ the truth which comes from God and the lies which come from darkness—from Satan!  

DROWN OUT THE NOISE WITH JESUS

When we drown out the ‘dark noise’ from the world, we let in the bright Light that is Jesus!  Our attitudes will change, perspective, mindsets and perception!  We grasp onto optimism, courage, clarity, and possibilities!  We cling to joy, empowerment, and calm.  

Open your Bible on the nightstand.  Reach for the one on the shelf.  Slow down and spend time with our Creator.  Less noise and more Jesus means we are changing our lives from darkness, to an authentic relationship with our Creator. It doesn’t get any better than that!

Photo Credit: Trying to Fall Asleep 

Photo Credit: Waking Up Tired 

Photo Credit: Drowning The Noise In Our Heads 

Photo Credit: Renewing Our Minds In Christ