Silence Is Golden
One day I came home from shopping and pulled into the driveway. As I got out of the car, I could hear a radio playing in the carport. The weather report predicted a high of almost 100 degrees for tomorrow. The information was being given to an empty carport. I went inside to look for my family. As I walked into the den, I heard the TV blasting its messages to an empty room.
Why had my family left the TV and radio on when they were not going to be listening to them? Then the realization hit me. I too frequently left the TV on in the den as I moved from room to room cleaning. I couldn’t hear exactly what it was saying but it provided a soothing noise while I worked.
But hey, at least I was in the house. After all, it's nice to hear a little noise.
What is it about silence that speaks louder than noise to our ears? Why is it that silence can make us so uncomfortable that we will turn on a TV or radio just for noise?
I believe that silence can be uncomfortable because it puts us in closer contact with our Creator. One of the ways this manifests itself is that when we have silence in our environment we are in closer contact to the thoughts and actions that we need to contemplate on a daily basis.
If God is trying to tell us something, it is much easier to shake it off if the TV or radio can distract us. If our thoughts get too close to the truth that needs to be dealt with, we can tune in to that TV or radio playing and tune out God.
Silence in our environment brings us to our knees before our Creator. Scholars believe that David wrote many of the psalms and did much of his spiritual growing while being a shepherd. Being a shepherd was a quiet job without noisy distractions. David pondered the beauty of God s world as he watched the sheep. "The heavens are telling the glory of God; they are a marvelous display of his craftsmanship. Day and night they keep on telling about God. Without a sound or word, silent in the skies, their message reaches out to all the world," says Psalm 19:1-3.
Creation stands as a silent testimony to God s greatness. It is silent testimony. I truly believe that we appreciate it most in silence. It is hard to ponder the beauty of the world while listening to a baseball game on the radio. Even if you are sitting outside on a quilt at the lake, the distraction of the radio overshadows the majesty of God s beautiful creation.
The world wants to distract us from God. It wants to keep our eyes and ears busy.
God wants to use silence to bring us into an awe of Him and into a place of thankfulness. In addition, He wants to use silence to direct our thoughts to important aspects of our lives that need guidance and instruction. He wants to draw our attention to Him.
For many people, turning the TV and radio off is a painful experience. It is almost a physical pain. We have become addicted to its presence in our lives.
If you feel the need to become less dependent on TV and radio, make a list of times during the day that you normally leave the TV or radio on for noise. For example, driving a car or cooking a meal. Then choose one of the activities on your list and do that activity without distractions. Take small steps and take pleasure in your successes.
BETH McLENDON
Marietta, Georgia, USA