When I'm at home, doing the dishes, laundry, whatever, the TV is on, or there is music coming from the computer or ipod- some form of noise is on all the time. Not that I think its wrong to listen to music or watch TV, I'm just wondering why it is that I can't seem to cope with silence.
The days that I feel I need some "peace and quiet", I find it very relaxing to take a hot bath. In this time of "peace and quiet", I shut the bathroom door, which then is followed by Ashton banging on the door, yelling, "Mom, mom, mom, mom..." (I feel like I'm on the Lion King or something). And to really get all the "peace and quiet" that I need, I bring the laptop in and set it on the counter to watch a movie. As I sit and examine this "peace and quiet" that I so much enjoy, I find that NOTHING about this practice is peaceful or quiet. It is like the rest of my life- somewhat distracted. Even when I sleep, I have a fan going. Maybe I use it because I like to feel a bit cooler when I sleep, but it is more for the noise that helps to lull me to sleep. Even as I sleep, silence eludes me.
Have you ever tried to get someones attention when they're doing something else? It can prove to be quite a difficult task- like when you were a kid trying to get your parents to look at something, and without actually looking they'd say, "Wow, that looks great", but then when they saw what you had actually done, they're ticked off because they weren't really paying attention when you were showing them the permanent marker that was all over your little sister and the bathroom door.
How is God supposed to speak to us if we never take the time to listen? Never take the time to just- BE. To sit and wait without distraction, without agenda- to just be in that moment and listen. For some reason I find it difficult to just be- without sitting and making a list of what I'm going to do when I get home, or what I'll need to do when I get back to work, and the list goes on and on. But yesterday, I be'd. I sat on the beach (during the morning session- shhhhh) with my Good Book and my journal and just be'd- marvelling at the wondrous creation my eyes were so blessed to behold.
I encourage you to make some time today to sit and listen- to just be.
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