Why silence can speak volumes

Silence is anathema to many. 

Living in a continual buzz of noise and wall of sound have become the norm.

Many people cannot read or study without at least some music on to accompany it.

Having continual beeping technological machinery around us has become so commonplace it barely registers.

We can almost fear silence

It feels alien. Uncomfortable. Weird.

I used to feel that way. Any distraction was welcome. 

Anything to drown out the thoughts in my head that reminded me of a past I longed to escape from.

Keeping busy, busy, busy, was life to me.

Attention to spiritual things was perfunctory at best. God lived in a box marked 'Sundays only' and my bible sat gathering dust like the mould in my mind.

My inner life remained dry, empty and sterile, but the outer one was as full as I could make it...at least on the surface

All was brought to an abrupt halt when I succumbed to M.E and life as I knew it came crashing down.

Now there was time and quiet space to focus on what really mattered - knowing God intimately and addressing the painful issues from my past - and nothing else to hide in.

These days, I crave quiet (and dark) as welcome companions to ease stimulation on an overloaded, weary brain and nervous system that can only tolerate a fraction of what is perceived to be 'normal' noise and interaction.

Though we all need space just to be rather than to do so that we can rest fully in mind, body and spirit.

Sometimes we just have to deliberately switch off for our sanity's sake

You may ask:What happens when we do? Doesn't the silence itself drive you mad?

Actually, because of the general hub-bub of life going on around us, silence is far from free of sounds.

Our own hamster wheel of thoughts also tends to keep whirring round regardless.

Choosing to focus on hearing from God in the silence is rather like seeking the right radio wave frequency to listen to the station of our choice instead of the ones we don't want to hear.

And in exploring silence, we come to a place where one thing speaks loud and clear as we come face to face with ourselves and all that we are.

Which is quite an uncomfortable feeling.

"Silence is the discipline that helps us go beyond the entertainment quality of our lives" ~ Henri Nouwen 'Can You Drink the Cup?'

Without words, entertainment or other distractions, there is nothing to hide behind and we are left alone with our true selves:our raw, wounded, vulnerable humanity.

Although that feels scary, we can still breathe easy, feel safe, and rest secure in the fact that God knows us inside out and loves us just the same. He longs for us to reach out to Him.

We cannot linger in the light of God's presence and come away unchanged, whether we perceive it or not


As we spend time with God, His words and thoughts seep in, refresh, cleanse, wash over our mind and bring the peace and strength we need to be helped, healed and made whole.

Even our creativity is enhanced by silence or quiet, meditative spells.

Idea are allowed space to surface and spill into the conscious mind once we relax enough to let them flow freely.

And God has so much He desires us to hear if only we allow Him space to talk with us and listen for His still, small voice

Silence (or simply being quiet for a spell) is as much for our sakes as God's.

It enables us to more easily tap into who we are and what makes us tick.

We create a clearing for deeper questioning, thinking and dreaming.

We start becoming more fully human and fully alive as we begin to notice both our interior and exterior world and hold them in equal measure without one drowning out the other

I have to confess that I have found it hard to balance all the various elements in my life and successfully carve out a sacred space in a busier environment since returning from my retreat.

Sinking back into routine is all too easy. 

Reassuringly, God waits to meet with us in the mess and mayhem of our normal existence, right where we are in muddle and busyness, noise and distractions.

He knows our schedules, the ways in which we feel stretched and harassed and how hard it can be to snatch quiet moments in the day, and He longs for us to surrender it all to Him.

And as we practice His presence, in tiny moments or longer, it signals our awareness of His provision and our need of Him

The benefits far outweigh any potential disadvantages.

May I encourage you to have a go? It could become a new habit.

You, too, may find that you begin to crave peaceful times alone with God and that silence does, in fact, speak volumes.

******

Here are a few books that I've found helpful. You may like to try them too. They're all available from Amazon. Just click on the links to find out more.

'Jesus Calling' by Sarah Young

'Listening to God:Hearing His Voice' by Joyce Huggett

'Into God's Presence' by Liz Babbs

'Out of Solitude:Three Meditations on the Christian Life' by Henri Nouwen

'The Practice of the Presence of God' by Brother Lawrence

Over to you:

Have you ever deliberately pulled back from your usual activities and sought quiet/silence?

How did it impact your life and walk with God?

Or maybe you are considering doing so. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts in the comments below. Thank you.

Linking here with the lovely Ruth Povey for the 'Letter to' series. This week's prompt is:'Letter to explain'. You are very welcome to join in. 

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Grace Notes:An Introduction

Dear Reader, you are warmly welcomed to the first in a new series. Allow me to introduce you to 'Grace Notes'.

Please don't fear that you will have to sing. Although, as far as I'm concerned, nothing beats a good sing-along for raising the spirits!

I would like this to be a place and space to pause and rejoice over the good things in our lives - to celebrate life in all its rich fullness and to celebrate our relationship with God

Now for a bit of explaining:

When I started this blog the purpose was to reach out, make friends, connect, share, reflect on issues of life and faith as God led me to do so. In that sharing I have found a greater intensity and depth of emotion has been coming to the surface. Some deeply personal issues have been aired. The tone has been rather confessional and a little dark at times, truth be told.

So why 'Grace Notes'?
It is because I want to let in The Light. To bring in more of a balanced view of life.
My natural inclination these days, as a person struggling with many physical health problems, concerns and circumstances beyond my control, is towards anxiety, worry and fear. 

However hard I try, these issues seem to come to the forefront, especially during the dull days of Winter when life is more of a struggle. I can't seem to change myself and the turn of mind I've developed.

And that's the problem - trying to solve it myself instead of resting in God's grace and trusting His provision. Forgetting to lay it all at His feet and seek help in His word.

So it seemed a good idea to focus purposefully on the grace of God and be reminded of His never-failing goodness and blessing which is always available to us.

We will be looking at various aspects of grace as we go through this series. It will not only focus on what God has revealed to us but also on how we can demonstrate that grace to others in how we live.

Grace can be defined as God's unmerited, unearned favour and blessing that He bestows freely, universally and individually

As Philip Yancey says in his wonderful book: 'What's so amazing about grace?' -

 "There is nothing you can do to make God love you more. And there is nothing you can do to make God love you less." 

Yet we can be blind or indifferent to it and need our eyes opened to see, appreciate and receive this grace. It is rather like God pouring out a Power Shower of blessings but we only feel it as a trickle and fail to see how heavy and full it really is. 

"Earth's crammed with heaven,

And every common bush afire with God;

But only he who sees takes off his shoes;

           The rest sit around it and pluck blackberries"  
~ Elizabeth Barrett Browning

Now some thoughts on grace to get us started:

"Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you'll recover your life. I'll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me - watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythm of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you'll learn to live freely and lightly" ~ Jesus speaking in Matthew 11:28 -30 The Message

The idea of 'unforced rhythm of grace' in the verse above is for it to be as straightforward and simple as breathing - a natural part of how we live, move and have our being.

The rhythm of grace is nothing like the Undulating Uncle, Sad Dad or Desperate Disco Diva movements you might find on display at a family wedding reception.

Rather, it resembles the best of 'Strictly Come Dancing' - a smoothly sinuous, snake-hipped, seasoned professional movement with an ease and relaxation to it that speaks of confidence and ability.

We don't start out as seasoned professionals in our understanding or expression of grace. The key is to walk and work with God and watch how He does it

As we keep company with Him, primarily through reading His word and spending time in His presence, we will learn how to live freely and lightly, trusting in Him to help us be at peace and recover our lives.

We rest in God's grace as we become confident of His ability to provide for us daily.

In the same way as the blood-bought sacrifice of Jesus runs through the Bible like a scarlet stream; grace could be seen as a golden thread that highlights aspects of God's character on every page

The aim of this new series is to be encouraging and inspiring. If it manages to be informative too then that's a bonus.

It is my hope to post something regularly (energy, health and time permitting of course) - if not necessarily weekly - that fits in with the theme of 'Grace Notes'. 

Serious reflections will still take place on the blog though - for those of you who prefer the meatier and challenging themes - as that is a huge part of who I am and what I do and you cannot fight nature completely!

For now, I need a reminder of the daily notes of grace that God pours into our lives and I hope you will appreciate it too. As usual, your own comments are warmly welcomed.

Remember to 'Follow' or sign up by email if you don't want to miss anything.

Until we meet again: 'May the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all' ~ 2 Corinthians 13:14