Startling Silence

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It’s easy in the midst of a fun community of friends to find
myself constantly “doing.” I love my life here. 
I love my friends and I love being with them.  We live in close community with each other,
we truly know each other.  We share meals,
play games, have inside jokes, share our hearts, have “Survivor night” and
“Amazing Race” night, worship and pray together…we simply share life with one
another.  I truly love life here in this
season. 

 

And in the midst of this, God gets my attention and calls me
away – away to rest.  What is rest?  Is it the lack of activity, the lack of
stress, both?  For me, right now, I think
I define rest as, being content in the midst of silence.  I don’t mean actual silence – the void of all sound.  But instead today I define silence as the
lack of obligations, the tasks, the emotional energy needed for the demands of
daily life.

We live in a world filled with so much “noise.” I find this
silence quite startling and awkward as I’m not sure what to do with myself.  At first it feels lonely.  Here nobody needs me.  There is no schedule.  There are no expectations to live up to.  I can simply “be.”  In this place all my needs are met, I am
lacking nothing, and I am able to cease striving. 

 

I now welcome the silence. 
I hear the Lord speaking over me and I’m refreshed.  My heart receives
something I can’t explain with words.  It is such sweet
communion.  I realize what love feels
like.  I feel so loved as I experience
Him pursuing my heart.  I feel so in love
as I just want to stay in this place all the days of my life.  It’s safe.

Perhaps this is the point of silence.  The startling silence has captured my
attention.  I know that it’s impossible
to live in a constant state of silence – lacking the demands of life.  But my definition of rest has been
re-defined.  I’ve found so much rest in
this silence and have learned the importance of making time to embrace it.

 

May I continue to seek the silence through the chaos and the
noise.