Silence

The final “S” is Silence. As I write that word I long for more of it. Here are some words from Rob Bell’s video, Noise.

“Why is silence so hard to deal with? Why is it so much easier for us to live our lives with a lot of things going on all the time than to just be in silence? We’re constantly surrounded with “voices” that are influencing us on how to think, feel, and behave. Movies, music, TV, internet, cell phones, and a never-ending barrage of advertising. There’s always something going on. Always noise in our lives. But maybe there’s a connection between the amount of noise in our lives and our inability to hear God. If God sometimes feels distant to us, maybe it’s

not because he’s not talking to us, but simply because we aren’t really listening.”

Hhhmmm. Sound familiar? Perhaps hitting a little too close to home for comfort? Boy, it sure does for me. But I will tell you this. When this last piece of the Five-S puzzle falls into place, then you have a transformational experience that is unforgettable. It is both amazing and sometimes scary to see what life has brought to me and for me when I have (1) retreated to a sanctuary; (2) found solitude; (3) taken a sabbatical; (4) sat in stillness; and (5) practiced silence. Oh my!

Don’t speak. Turn off all media. Shut down your phones. Turn off your computer. Practice silence.

There is a time for everything and a season for every activity under the heavens: a time to be silent and a time to speak… – Ecclesiastes 3:1, 7b