The sound of silence
Over the last Bank Holiday weekend, my wife Jenny and I visited a garden centre. We saw the statue above, and I just had to buy it. So, if you come to our house and venture into the garden, you will see it displayed in all its glory in one of our flower beds.
For me, it provokes the thought of quiet over noise.
We live in a very busy culture where things are happening all of the time. There is constant stimulation and very little time for quiet. I wonder what it is like in your home?
Maybe you can use this blog as an opportunity to do a sound audit of life in your house?
I’m sure you know the things that swallow up quiet – TV, mobile phones, gaming, playing music. In moderation, there is nothing wrong with any of these things, but if it shuts out time for quiet and reflection, then maybe they need to be reviewed? One of my favourite bands in the 80s was called After The Fire. They had a song called “I need some time to think.” I am sure that at some point, you can relate to this.
Our neighbours recently went on a retreat. Not something I have ever done, but I do wonder if it might help me to reset and step off of the wheel of life for a bit. Here are some of the upsides that Rachel shared with me and gave me permission to share with you:
Being in nature and seeing things I may otherwise not notice, seeing God's goodness in creation.
Time to pause and be still meant I could hear God’s voice more.
Getting away and intentionally carving out time with God AWAY from my phone felt very healthy to get away from the noise and distraction of screens.
Being on retreat slowed everything down.
Having a toddler means we rarely get silence….so the precious moments when we can pause and be still and have alone time was very special.
Silence forces us to face what is going on on the inside, to confront the lies we’ve believed and receive healing in our weakness and brokenness
I love this, thank you, Rachel it frames exactly what I was thinking when we were in the garden centre and saw the golden figure.
So, is there a point to this? Well, we know we live in a busy, noisy world. Sometimes we need to make a conscious effort to step back, get quiet on the inside and reset.
What do you think? Is this something for you to consider?
Incorporating quiet into daily life can significantly enhance mental and emotional well-being, counteracting the detrimental effects of constant noise exposure.
Final verse for this blog. Be still and know that I am God. Psalm 46 v 10.
