It was totally awkward for a bit. While most likely just a few minutes, it felt much longer than it actually was. I sat in silence. Not quietly alone with my thoughts or even in prayer, but I attempted to not think at all (some of you think I live my life this way), and just listen.
I heard the dull hum of the air conditioner pouring frigid air into the room and the peaceful breathing of Louie, my 15-year-old golden, sleeping on the ground next to me. I could hear a neighbor’s car running and waiting to take the young doctor to work, and I wondered whose life would be in his hands today. I heard all of the subtle creaks and pops as the house itself was waking up with the sun’s warmth as it rose in the sky. All my senses were alive, and I could feel the goosebumps on my arms, questioning why it had to be so cold in this room.
Then random people started rolling through my mind. People I know I need to connect with, pray for, reconcile with, and just love. As the air conditioner stopped, the silence thickening and the wooden piece of the door shade's drawstring slightly tapping on the frame, I was given an overwhelming peace. Be still. I got this. It's all gonna be okay.
"I don't concern myself with matters too great or too awesome for me to grasp. Instead, I have calmed and quieted myself..." (Psalm 131:1-2)
When was the last time you calmed and quieted yourself?
When was the last time you checked all those great matters that you may or may not have control of, or answers to, and just listened? I know, it's been a while. Me too.
I was in a meeting recently with a teammate I've worked with for a long time. A person I trust beyond business, and we had a hill that needed climbing. I had prepared for the meeting, my mind was fully engaged, options mapped out in my head, and wheels were turning. After laying out my impressive analysis of the situation and going back and forth on the information, my inside brain said, "Shut up, you dummy, just listen. She needs to be heard, not just her words, but her heart". So I tried to disengage my mouth and brain and double down on my ears. (I give myself a B- on the effort as it really isn't my best subject)
If we want to have an impact, we have to learn to be quiet. Nothing builds trust from others like hearing them.
If we want to be impacted, we have to learn to get quiet. Escape from the noise of life and our own thoughts, and let the silence elevate our presence to a whole new level. While the music of God exists behind the noise of life, His peace is often found in the quiet, still moments that we stop long enough to receive it.
…Does it really have to be this cold?