Silence

As some of you know, I spent the summer of 2007 in Japan doing missions with college students with the Navigators. One day my fellow missionaries and I rode a bus downtown. Well one thing to know about Japan is that people riding on public transportation, even if they’re friends, don’t really talk to each other to prevent being overheard; for they are an introverted society, very comfortable with silence. Another thing to know about Japan is that they, as a country, are fairly environmentally conscious. So, for example, when a bus comes to any extended stop (like at a stoplight) they actually turn off the bus. Well the first time I rode on the bus in Japan, you can imagine the feeling of awkwardness that came over me the first time they actually shut off the bus. The combination of no one talking, no motor running, and just not knowing what was going on made for an extremely uncomfortable moment.

Why was that moment so uncomfortable? Well the main reason, I think, is that as Americans we have an incredibly hard time dealing with silence. Most of us straight-up don’t like it; and when we are in silence, its really only silence externally, while our minds and hearts are still racing with thoughts and worries of the day-to-day inside. How do we just sit in complete silence comfortably? Well one method is to live in Japan for three months, you’ll get real used to it real fast But I think it really just takes discipline. We need to take time out of our day to really just sit and reflect. And bringing God into the picture, those are moments that He will be able to speak to us the best, when we aren’t distracted by everything else, when we are simply taking some time to be alone with Him and nothing else.

So how long has it been since you spent some time alone, in silence, and allowed God in? Hours? Days? Maybe months? Well when you think about it, God above all else, deserves the very best part of us and our time, as He is the source of all that is good in our lives and our lives in of themselves. Doesn’t He deserve the best? Give it a shot and I’m sure God will meet you where you are when you make an effort to take some time for Him.