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Blessed Quietness
by Skeet Savage
Have you ever
noticed that if two people sit down beside each other one of them
will usually feel an obligation to fill up the silence between them
with TALK?! More than likely it will not be anything profound—just
mindless, empty chatter. Anything to fill what is often termed, “an
awkward silence.”
Noise pollution is a modern-day fact of life. Machines running,
horns honking, and telephones ringing—or chirping, or beeping, or
chiming, or playing Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, as the case may be!
Even in the middle of the night, motors are whirring and clocks are
ticking away steadily in the darkness.
In some homes, the television set is on all day to keep the
residents “company”—even when real company comes for a visit!
Noisy distractions are everywhere. And, of course, there’s no
getting away from someone’s pick of obnoxious background music
(usually the oldies channel) when shopping or dining out—or even
just stopping to fill the car with gas!
Grandma used to say, “It’s so noisy, I can hardly hear myself
think!”
Maybe that’s the point. Maybe folks don’t want to have to think.
Maybe they’re afraid that if the music stops, they will start to
think about things they’d rather not think about—things they are
trying hard to forget—things that the constant flow of words and
noise effectively drown out.
I can remember a time in my life when music was ever present
throughout every waking moment. I had a radio alarm and woke to
music every morning. As I went about my work during the day, the
stereo was continually pumping my favorite tunes through the entire
house. When traveling in the car, the radio was always on. I loved
music (I still do, by the way) and just never could seem to get
enough of it!
Maybe I’m just getting older, but for some time now, I’ve come to
realize that I am just not as inclined to automatically reach for
the stereo and “just push play.”
In fact, nowadays, I literally crave quiet like some folks crave
chocolate. However, as with chocolate, I suppose it is possible to
get too much of a good thing.
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I’ve heard it said that Susanna Wesley,
with eleven children, would
retreat to her “prayer chair” which sat over in the corner of the
room, and pull her apron up over her head to signify to those nearby
that she was communing with God and was not to be disturbed. I
understand.
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I remember one day a while back when all the children were gone for
the entire day and I had big plans to get lots of work done. The
whole house was absolutely still except for weird creaks, thumps,
and house noises that I’d never heard before! I must admit, on that
rare day it was so quiet I couldn’t hear myself think!!
And, along with my craving for quiet, I also find myself longing,
more and more, for time alone with my precious LORD and
Savior—uninterrupted, unhurried time alone.
“Be thou my strong habitation, whereunto I may continually
resort.” (Psalm 71:3)
At times, I almost feel guilty for once again, at some point in the
day, slipping away quietly and shutting the door to my room for just
a few minutes to open my heart to Him and share with Him what is on
my mind and hear what He has to say. What seems like such a luxury
on the one hand is, in reality, akin to plugging in to spiritual
life support!
“For thus saith the Lord GOD, the Holy One of Israel; In
returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence
shall be your strength...” (Isaiah 30:15)
Let’s face it, most of the hustle and bustle of our days comes from
trying to GET ahead, or GET more of what we already have. Greed and
covetousness are the merciless murderers of peace and quiet...
(This article does not appear in it's
entirety. To read the full article, you can order the back issue of
an An Encouraging Word titled, "Blessed Quietness", Issue #42. Order from our back issue
pages here or write to An Encouraging Word, P.O. Box 374 Covert,
MI 49043)
About the author: Skeet Savage is a veteran homeschooling mother,
grandmother, Founder of Wisdom’s Gate, Editor of
Home School Digest, An Encouraging Word, Brush
Arbor Quarterly, and author
of the book Homeschooling For
Eternity.
This article was published in
An Encouraging Word issue #42, and may not be reprinted or
distributed in any form without express written consent from the
publisher. All Rights Reserved.
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