The importance of silence
The other day I found my copy of Thirsting for God- daily meditations by Mother Teresa edited by Angelo D. Scolozzi and decided to look at the reflection of the day. It was about something I struggle with: silence.
God is the friend of silence. His language is silence. ‘Be still and know that I am God.’ He requires us to be silent to discover him. Jesus spent forty days in silence before beginning his public life. He often retired alone, spent the night on the mountain in silence and prayer. He who spoke with authority spent his early life in silence. We need to be alone with God in silence to be renewed and to be transformed. Silence gives us a new outlook on life. In it we are filled with the energy of God himself that makes us do all things with joy.
Thirsting for God, by Mother Teresa edited by Angelo Scolozzi pages 41-42
Silence is definitely powerful. I remember a few years ago when I made it a point to have some moments of silence in my day. I would get up before the kids would and read and pray the rosary. I would drive to and from the gym without any music to just sit in silence. And I had some great conversations with God.
Yes, silence is important. But what if it is not always possible where you are in life?
Caught in the noise
I am constantly surrounded by noise. Am I not trying hard enough to be silent? Maybe. But I’m not in the same place I was in a few years ago. Right now, I’m in survival mode. I can try to get up early, but now my kids wake up early, so most likely I won’t get the silence I want and instead will just be cranky. I don’t have the car to myself anymore. I’m always driving around at least one of my kids if not all of them. And to be honest, my kids can be very loud in the car. And it gets very stressful.
So if I can’t get silence in my day, does that mean I don’t get to build my relationship with God? No! God is present in the silence AND noise. You might need to search a little, but He is there.
Parenthood is hard. You don’t get many moments to yourself. God knows that. He wants us to call out to Him despite the noise. Maybe sometimes, He is the noise. When I find myself getting annoyed one or several of my kids say they’re thirsty and want more to drink right after I finally sit down, I try to think of Mother Teresa discussing how she found God in others at Calcutta, from the simple statement, “I thirst.” I found God. He is calling out to me as my child. I am serving Him by serving them.
Is noise the bad guy?
Noise tends to get a negative reputation. If you’re like me you try to tune out the noise. It can be a trigger for my depression. Or maybe anxiety and depression are your noise. I got caught up in the noise of anxiety the other day, until I took a deep breath and started praying Hail Mary over and over. And I calmed down. I found God in the noise and He helped bring silence into my heart.
The devil is constantly trying to use the “noise” of everyday life, whether its our busy on-the-go schedules, social media/modern technology, workaholic tendencies, mental health problems or worldwide events to block out God’s call to us.
But is noise really the bad guy here? Or is someone manipulating it to use it against us and draw us further from God?
Finding God in the noise
Noise in and of itself is not a bad thing. Depending on the cause of it, yes, maybe it can be overwhelming to your ears, trigger your anxiety or be a cause of distraction. But not all noise is bad. You can definitely find God in the noise. It may be easy to feel his presence while you’re sitting in peace, enjoying the sunrise, quiet brought from a fresh snowfall, or gazing up into the starry night while everyone else is sleeping.
But I also think of all the times God makes His presence known to me by using noise. I feel Him when I hear the birds chirping outside my window, bringing hope of warmer days to come. I feel Him when I hear the heartbeat of my unborn baby on an ultrasound, or when I hear my baby cry for the first time after he/she is born. I know He is there when I hear the stomping of little feet running around my house with the happy screams and laughter. He also speaks to us through the sound of music that makes our souls feel alive.
It is possible to find God in the chaos of your day. You just have to know where to look. I know I tend to find him in others. The other week I took Rebecca to ballet class and was talking to some of the other moms/grandmas of the ballerinas. One of the women there was talking about a problem she had. And it turned out that another woman we were talking to had a relative that could help her with her problem and they exchanged contact info after class. God works in mysterious ways. And he is always trying to reach out to us.
*Disclaimer*
I’m not saying that you should never make time for silence in your day. I think it is important to implement it into your routine and take a step back from the build-up of the noise and refocus yourself on God. So many saints have spoken on the power of silence and the good it brings to the soul. (And obviously, the saints know what they’re talking about! They achieved the lifelong goal we are all working towards!) But I understand how sometimes life just doesn’t let you get the silence you crave/need. And I want you to know that God is still there. And He wants you to seek Him in the chaos as well as silence.
God wants you to call
I’m sure part of what so many mean when alluding to finding God in silence is to constantly practice making silence in our hearts when the world is trying to distract us from Him. But I want to say that if you find yourself caught up in the busyness of life, God is there! I know I get stressed if I need to make a phone call when I have the kids because there’s no way I’ll get the quiet I need to hear the other person talking. That’s the beauty of calling out to God, though.
God doesn’t care if there’s background noise. He just wants you to call. And sometimes he’s using the noise to call you.
I have found that sometimes, I find myself closer to God BECAUSE of the noise. During the noisiest moments of my life, I cry out to Him; “Lord, please give me strength. Be with me.”
Current Events
The world today feels so noisy. And now more than ever we all long for peace and silence. It can be so easy to let it all distract us from God’s presence. But even in times like these, you can see how God is present in the chaos. From everyone uniting together from all over the world for prayers for peace, fundraisers being held to help those affected, and one of my favorite stories, the strollers left by women in Poland to help the refugees from Ukraine when they arrived. All are evidence of God’s presence in the chaos.
Final thoughts
All of this is to say, if you’re getting discouraged this Lent about not getting enough quiet time in for reflection, God sees you. And he wants you to find Him wherever you find yourself in life. Whether it is in the silence of the desert or caught up in the storm of life.
Ask, and it will be given you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Matthew 7:7 The Holy Bible- Revised Standard Version
