QUIET WISDOM
I have come to covet the long-stretching moments of silence that spread like a soft blanket of snow.
Still, I’m troubled that no matter the effort it’s nearly impossible to silence the voices in my head.
Have we arrived at a place in human history when we revere talking over thought?
“Think before you speak, and then do it again.”
Imagine the damage we would avoid if we lived as our mamas advised.
I am struck that there are 2,787 satellites currently circling the earth. There will be at least 40,000 more within the next few years. It’s no wonder I feel the weight of ten thousand voices hovering somewhere just out of view.
The night sky that led shepherds to a manger now guides us to more mundane destinations instead.
We have not simply littered our close-in universe but also the contents of our heads.
Astronomers report that it’s becoming increasingly difficult to view the Universe without the visual interruption of our human noise…satellites dashing through space eclipse even some of the brightest stars.
In our effort to “communicate” we are silencing Creation.
There are so many extraordinary ways to connect that don’t involve opening our mouths.
And there are countless aspects of life and living that don’t require our opinion to be validated or even to exist.
Which brings me to God. How he reaches down and through all the clutter we’ve created is more mind-blowing than the reality of 200 billion trillion stars. And yet, there He is, as I’m steaming my latte or making the bed.
It shouldn’t come as a surprise to me that the Creator of the Universe values the relationship that transcends words.
With all the discussion about how to “talk to God more effectively” I neglected to remember that He is always communicating with me.
For one who reveres words over nearly every other thing, I have become a student of the quiet, of listening.
I’ve had this odd phenomenon lately where I spontaneously smile and laugh out loud. There’s no thought attached to the moment. Only a feeling that bypasses the need for explanation. The best I can come up with is God is teaching me to hear him with my heart instead of my head.
The wisdom I seek is not found within the thinking mind but embedded in the center of my chest.
The world is flooded with loud voices telling me to be anxious, joyless, and afraid.
And then there is One who comforts and counsels without uttering a sound.
This is the One who set the stars in motion and still knows every cell of who I am.
IMAGE: Three years ago Ron and our son, Kyle, hiked through the Alps. The landscape was awe-inspiring but the paths were narrow and teetered on the edge of oblivion. This is where Earth and stars meet, where we understand the majesty and diminutive nature of our being.
ENJOY A FASCINATING GLIMPSE INTO SATELLITES AND SPACE JUNK—
https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/adults/astronomy-live/impact-cratering
SOMETHING ELSE TO READ—
https://www.sanctuaryliving.life/selah/