The Power of Silence
I was driving home a few weeks ago and counted six people walking independent of each other down the sidewalk. Five of them were holding mobile phones to their ears as they walked. The last person was listening to his ipod with a set of headphones. Not one was simply enjoying the act of walking without some sort of outside stimulation.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking on the phone while you walk or listening to music while you exercise. But it got me thinking.
Silence can be rejuvenating, invigorating and even therapeutic. Yet it can also be lonely and intimidating. It can be lonely because we are so used to noise and activity. Any break from that hustle and bustle seems strange or even awkward.
In silence our thoughts bubble up from within instead of being generated by our environment. It can be enlightening just to sit and contemplate our life. In moments of stillness, we get to know ourselves for better or for worse and maybe that is why so many avoid it.
I know some people who never experience silence at all. Do you know anyone like this? They are always on the phone, listening to something or watching TV. I even know of people who turn several T.V.’s on throughout their house so as they walk from room to room, they don’t miss anything.
What about you? Do you have enough time away from noise and busyness to hear yourself think? Or even more importantly, to hear God speaking to you and through you? How much quiet time do you have scheduled for the next week? I encourage you to make this a priority. What do you think?
Tommy Newberry is the author of Success Is Not an Accident and The 4:8 Principle available from Tyndale House Publishers this fall.
Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking on the phone while you walk or listening to music while you exercise. But it got me thinking.
Silence can be rejuvenating, invigorating and even therapeutic. Yet it can also be lonely and intimidating. It can be lonely because we are so used to noise and activity. Any break from that hustle and bustle seems strange or even awkward.
In silence our thoughts bubble up from within instead of being generated by our environment. It can be enlightening just to sit and contemplate our life. In moments of stillness, we get to know ourselves for better or for worse and maybe that is why so many avoid it.
I know some people who never experience silence at all. Do you know anyone like this? They are always on the phone, listening to something or watching TV. I even know of people who turn several T.V.’s on throughout their house so as they walk from room to room, they don’t miss anything.
What about you? Do you have enough time away from noise and busyness to hear yourself think? Or even more importantly, to hear God speaking to you and through you? How much quiet time do you have scheduled for the next week? I encourage you to make this a priority. What do you think?
Tommy Newberry is the author of Success Is Not an Accident and The 4:8 Principle available from Tyndale House Publishers this fall.
posted by Drew Dyck at 3:08 PM
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