Let's get RADICAL!

I heard something this week that really got me thinking.

In this day and time..."Silence is Radical."

Think about that for a minute.  It may not seem to pack much of a punch...but when I let that sink in, it punched me right between the eyes!

How true this is. Just think how busy we all are! Our daily planners are more stuffed than our turkeys will be next week...with kids, homework, activities, projects, work, more activities, more homework, and MORE ACTIVITIES!!  If you're lucky, you try to squeeze in a meal or two, clean the house up a bit, do some laundry, tidy the yard, wash a car, etc. And then there's all the good stuff...teaching Sunday School, being a deacon, helping with the youth, being in the church play, being on committees, etc.

And then you're suppose to find time and energy to go on a "date" with your husband and nuture the important relationships in your life. Really??!!

All of this is good stuff! (well, most of it) But it is tooooo much GOOD STUFF!

We need to be still.  We need to be silent.  And I don't mean need as in one more thing to add to my to-do list.  I mean need as in a cell phone that needs to be recharged, a car that needs gas, or a plant that needs water. We simply have to have it.

This seems so trivial...so simple.  Yet, in reality, is intimidating and somewhat difficult.  Why? Are we scared of the silence? Does it make us nervous? Or is it simply a habit that needs to be cultivated?  I fear that our children have NO CONCEPT of the importance of silence and meditation. It's a lost art...just like the handwritten note or  phone CONVERSATION (not text).  I know in our house if there is a spare 5 minutes, it is always stuffed with something that involves entertainment or stimulation of the mind...playstation, tv, game on the cell phone, texting, facebook, anything....but SILENCE!

The older I get, the more I realize just how important this is. More than important. Necessary.

For when we make a deliberate effort to silence the world around us, we can hear that still, small voice that says, "Be still...and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10) It's the same voice that says I love you and have a special plan for you. (Jeremiah 29:11) I care about your day and all that it holds. And when we seek out this voice, it's amazing how our perspective changes. All of a sudden, our chaos turns to purpose.  We see things in a different light.  We release our control and return it to the very One who knit us together in our mother's womb (Psalm 139:13) and who has the very hairs on our head numbered, (Matthew 10:30) and who has our very best interest at heart. (Romans 8:28)

Let's not feel guilty about carving out some time to be quiet and still. If Jesus, the very Son of God, had to do it on a regular basis...why in the world would we not need to? And if you think you don't have time to, that's the first sign that you need to.

Get RADICAL today...sneak away and sit in silence. It's the sweetest sound you've ever heard!


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C01lLxEo3xM