The Lost art of Quietness

When was the last time you were quiet? I don't mean the peaceful sigh when they kids are finally in bed and you lay your head back and enjoy the peace for 30 seconds before drifting off to sleep. Sitting and watching a movie while shushing all comments doesn't count either. Nor am I referring to the time you spend sitting in Church, because then you are either listening to the message or letting your mind wander..."Oh, I need to remember to talk to them after the service. I need to remember to get gas before we head home - we're almost out. Well, that's an interesting outfit! I wonder how the game is going to go today. Did I remember to start the crockpot? Does it look like it's going to rain? I hope I turned the iron off before we left. She does know those perfume bottles aren't single use right?" I mean a peaceful stepping away from the stresses and worries of the world, setting aside the distractions, and simply sitting, appreciating creation and The Creator.

This last Monday, we had a great opportunity to be quiet. We hiked to the top of one of the mountains in the area and enjoyed the sunset. Ok, I'll admit, initially my quietness was not necesarily a conscious decision on my part, really it was more of an unconscious one (i.e. I was nearly unconscious after hiking up the mountain with 40+ pounds on my back). But as my overburdended lungs slowly returned oxygen to my brain and feeling returned to my extremities, I was able to appreciate the peaceful setting (even more so after the pounding in my ears lessened). Our goal was to see the sunset, and watch the moonrise. We arrived shortly after the sun had slipped behind one of the neighboring mountains, but it was still very beautiful. Most people were finishing up their hikes, so after waiting a while, the mountain top thinned out, and we had it to ourselves. Sitting there peacefully, I realized it had been a very long time since I had actually watched a sunset, and then continued watching as the stars came out. (If you've never done this, I encourage you to. There is nothing like it in the world.)

Our society is so schedule driven that we never have empty time. We have so much that we want to do, so we are always going, always doing. We truly don't know how to be quiet anymore. If you don't believe me, take 30 minutes and just sit. Don't read. Don't watch TV. Don't listen to music. Don't schedule what you're going to do with the rest of your evening. Don't sleep. Just sit. Pick a verse and meditate on it. Really notice the creation that surrounds you, and thank God for it. Contemplate what characteristics of God are emphasized by what surrounds you. As we were sitting on the mountain top, it's almost as if it takes a while for the echoes of the noise that daily surrounds us (both actual and metaphorical) to die down. But as they do finally die down, it becomes easier to sit and appreciate the quiet. After a while of sitting, we could faintly hear a loon cry drift up from the lake below. I love how after a while of sitting still in a quiet place, you begin to actually hear your surroundings

This musing on quietness led me to read the references to quiet in the Bible, and it was really eye-opening to me to see how quietness is referred to. Today, we often hear quietness described in a negative way, as in someplace is too quiet. Even when we are quiet, we usually need some sort of "white noise" to help. Reading the verses on quietness in the Bible, quietness is always referred to as something to be sought after. It was a blessing, a thing desired. Lack of quiet was a curse or a punishment. This made me ask the question, 'How could something that was seen as a blessing and a reward from God come to be viewed as undesireable?' The world tries to cover the void that exists in their lives in any way possible. They use flashing lights, amusement parks, music, and any number of other things to draw their attention away from the emptiness of their lives. I say the world, but really it is Satan. He is the one trying to cover the void, so people don't try to fill it, however he finds willing accomplices as people try anything and everything to fill the void in their lives. Magicians use lights and noise and a steady stream of chatter to direct our eyes away from what they are doing, so that we only see what they want us to see. It's the same with Satan. The real coup d’état for Satan is when we as Christians are drawn in by his distractions. He may no longer have a death-grip on us, but by drawing us into his distractions, he ensures that we will not share with others the true solution to their empty lives. By being drawn in, we effectively become no longer someone who is able to provide the solution, but rather an additional distraction.

Well, I've rambled on far too long, especially when I'm encouraging quietness! I'd like to leave you with they lyrics of a song I really like by Caedmon's Call that I think are quite appropriate to this monologue.

Masquerade
Caedmon's Call

On an open stretch of freeway
Underneath the canvas clouds
The blackness after evening
Swallowed everything around
But just up head on the open horizon
We caught the faintest glow
And as we drew near
it seemed so clear that the
dark would have to go

In the center of the city
Comes the illusion of the day
When everything looks pretty
It's easy to think you've found the way
But it's all just a big masquerade

It was thirty-six months earlier
On that same old lonesome road
And that same old darkness lingered
Just before the lightning show
And the thunder
cracked down
And His lightning conquered everything around
That dark had to flee
Now the light of the little town
Was as dark as the night compared to His light