Silence can be a powerful thing to experience. Analysts say 50,000 thoughts run through our minds everyday. Some call it noise, others call it distraction, and some of those thoughts could be classified as earth shattering ideas. But what if? What if we could quiet that noise for just a few minutes a day and experience the sound of silence?
To intentionally experience silence, one might engage in a form of prayer or meditation. Others might choose to close their eyes and relax. God gave us two ears and one mouth for a reason. I’d assume, He would like us to listen more and talk less. In listening, I believe He not only wants us to hear each other in conversation, but to hear all the good news He has spread. He wants us to hear the beauty of a calm Spring morning. And I believe He wants to us to hear Him speak to us in the silence of our hearts. How can we experience that?
Years ago, I was introduced to the idea of Contemplative Prayer. You could call it a form of meditation. It’s a process where one does their best to quiet his mind and listen. It’s tough to listen when we constantly have 50,000 thoughts running through our minds every day. So I would focus on a one syllable word, “peace” for instance. Every time a thought would enter my mind I would utter the word “peace”. The thoughts would continue to come as I continued to say the word peace until finally, no more thoughts. There are times when I could get to a place of silence and there were times when I couldn’t. But even on the days when I wasn’t arriving at a place of total silence I knew I was succeeding in my contemplation, because I was learning how to rid myself of thought.
When we have so much debris floating through our minds, it hard to listen for a good idea. So, the benefit of emptying our minds of thought, allows room for new ideas and most importantly awareness to enter our minds at a later time. Over time you will see things a different way, you will understand things at a deeper level, and you will be more aware of things occurring in your life. They say silence is golden. Not for any material riches it will bring you, but for the richness of thought and understanding you will receive. And that my friends, is priceless.
Until next time…