It’s a Tuesday. I’m going to unwrap the gift of silence.
When I was a kid, I talked a lot. I drove my Mom crazy. I drove everyone crazy. Yeah, it was cute for about 1 minute and then it got downright maddening. Mom taught me the joy of silence. She would make me just not talk for 30 minutes. (Trust me, this may sound weird but it was necessary for both of us from ages 2-4.) I’d sit in silence – thinking, making up stories, dreaming. Even now as an adult, I talk to myself too much. I feel like I’ve got to talk about how I’m feeling, process everything and create a plan.
I get caught up in the business of life. I run around, exhausted and overwhelmed at times. I experience emotion. I try to remain steady through the whole process, but sometimes it’s just so hard. Sometimes, I let myself experience silence. When I go to God to seek comfort and guidance, I will get silence sometimes. But the thing about the silence of God is that it is a blessing. I’m expecting to hear some profound statement He wants me to accept. I’m expecting some radical sign or miracle. And He’s expecting me to just sit there and watch Him be on the move. He’s relentless. Always on the move around me. He’s a Warrior. He wants me to just be silent and recognize that I can’t do the fighting – only He can through my silence. So really, silence is a good thing. Builds character. Builds trust. Being quiet in the presence of God is a necessity for me. That’s when I watch Him fight for my heart.
The Lord will fight for you, and you have only to be silent. -Exodus 14:14
To read more unwrapped stories, check out chatting at the sky. You won’t regret it!
What a wonderful reminder that I don’t constantly have to be talking or taking action; rather, I can be still and silent and allow Him to have control.
such a timely reminder. thank you
Oh thank you for such a wonderful gift reminder. It’s often, ironically, either in music or in silence that I hear God. And God often responds with silence…. I hadn’t thought about that- and it’s not that He’s ignoring, but something more intense- a chance to listen, to wait, to trust. Thanks for this.
Well, it seems that many of us at Tuesdays Unwrapped are in search of silence or how to BE silent…”be still”…very hard for this turbo-charged mom to do. I truly learning to wait. wait. wait and wait some more. Thanks for sharing!
Hey RG, its Mark! Great post, great blog. In fact, seeing you, your sis, and a bunch of other folks with their own blog has inspired me to start the one I’ve been meaning to do for some time. Check it out if you get a chance. It’s called I Am Here. I think you’ll like it.
http://wakingbelievingrunning.wordpress.com/