Gratitude - The Gift of Silence

 

The gift of silence is an invitation to intentionally seek out quiet moments for yourself. Check out the sounds that are around you right at this moment. What do you hear? Is the TV or radio on? Can you detect the sounds of traffic outside or the hum of a computer at your desk?  Are the children yelling in the background?  Are the chickens clucking and the ducks quacking and the goats yelling to be milked?  Oh, that would be my life!  Sorry about that!  
We are constantly surrounded by sounds and I am learning that the cumulative effect of noise can lead to increased stress and overstimulation.

Remember that there can be noise on the outside and noise on the inside. While we can turn off a TV, it is not always easy to turn down the volume of the thoughts inside our own heads. Sometimes it is especially hard to let go of the noise of worry and concern that surrounds us.  I know it is something I really have to struggle with. 

The noise on the inside can keep me from finding peace.  It can keep me from prayer, from scriptures, from meditation, from relaxing.  I get so involved with the noise that I can't handle everything that I need to do.  And so, I have learned to walk.  To get up and go outside.  To listen to the sounds of the birds and the squirrels.  To let go of the hum of business that I am caught up in and to just take a breath and enjoy the silence of a moment.  This month, I choose to give myself this amazing gift.  10 minutes or more of silence each day, so that I can get back on track. 
So that I can breath. 
So that I can find myself amongst the noise and confusion that surrounds me. 
So that I can find Him.