The Things I learn in being Silent

There have been several points in my life where I take time, in a sense be still, shut my mouth and merely listen to as one composer put the movement of the spheres.It is quite astounding what you hear if you simply shutup and what you see if you take your eyes off what you would normally look at. I decided to do this for the first time last quarter I took a vow of silence for about a week or so and I came to realize how immensely much the silence spoke during that time. I was reminded while refraining from putting effort into speech this evening how much God can do with us doing nothing. How much he can do with stillness.

I wanted to note some things tonight while my cultural pen hits this page.

I have come to realize this in my time of silence... that what prevents us from seeing is merely that we do not look. What prevents us from hearing is that we are simply not listening. What prevents us from touching is that we refuse to experience what we haven't before. What prevents us from tasting is we somehow can't seem to fathom any other than what we've known. What prevents us from smelling is that we grow accustom to our rancid smell. We do not recognize truth for truth because we do not see clearly. We do not hear clearly because we are stubborn and stagnant. We are touching the stubborn and stagnant as CS Lewis would say refusing to experience the full extent of life, the movement of life. Tasting life for what it is, every wonderful thing God gave us. The truly wonderful things God gave us.

When I was a child I did not speak for a long while. It was because no one could teach me how. I could not hear. My parents realized by their love something was wrong and showed their wisdom and took me to a doctor. They took the measures necessary to ensure and to teach me how to listen to the movement of the spheres. During that time as well as every time since then God has spoken in profound ways through silence. I came to know Christ shortly after I began to hear. Was it because of the silence, I do not know. But I do not doubt it played its part.

As I have done many times before this day I stand in silence and dare to dream a dream so impossible that if God is not in it, it is doomed to failure. It is forsaking all that I may gain everything. Shifting myself and orienting it heavenward in preperation for what is coming. No more old me...

JG