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Sound of Silence

When I hear this phrase, all I can think of is the Simon and Garfunkle song.
I have a love/hate relationship with silence.
Love:
  • I loved the quiet after bedtime when the kids were little.
  • I love silence during worship. The power of people sitting together in prayer is so powerful to me. There was one church I preached several times where the organist would always play quiet music while I led the pastoral prayer. It made me crazy. I could not think, could not hear God and could not lead the congregation where I felt God was nudging me.
  •  I love the quiet in the morning before the house wakes up; I really love being first up in the morning and coming downstairs for quiet reflection.

Hate:
Silence also makes me crazy.
  • I often turn on the TV just to have some company in the house.
  • I love listening to audio books almost more than reading paper books, and have a subscription for one new audiobook a month, at least 8 hours a month listening to books, not counting the podcasts I subscribe to daily.
  • Public radio is almost always on in the car when driving around town. 

I like silence in my worship, but not in my life.
Wait a minute…I am pretty sure something is wrong here.
Am I just leaving space for God to talk to me at pre-scheduled times? Am I boxing God out?
How might I turn my times of being uncomfortable with silence into something good? (But I don’t like to be uncomfortable!)

My favorite quote from today’s reading:
Holy Solitude p. 13
“Ruth Burrows writes that prayer, especially in silence is simpler than we think, because it ‘is essentially what God does, how God addresses us, looks at us. It is not primarily something we are doing to God, something we are giving to God, but what God is doing for us. And what God is doing for us is giving us the divine Self in love.’ The real discipline of solitude and silence is to let go of our preconceptions and distractions, to let God love us—even just for a moment—and to remember that this is the most important practice and nourishment for Christian life, each and every day.”

What’s your relationship with silence? I’d love to know what you think.

Judi

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