Quiet has taught me

Spending time in the quiet can teach you a lot about yourself.

When I first started Eucharistic Adoration, I quickly learned that being quiet for an entire hour isn’t easy. Not just being physically quiet, but mentally quiet as well.

And more than that, I learned what REALLY is going on inside my head.

I learned that I spend a lot of time “replaying” events … songs I’ve heard, tv and movies I’ve seen, and books I’ve read. I replay conversations, and sometimes imagine arguments or things I “wish” I’d said.

And I learned that none of that noise … none of it … brings me peace. It doesn’t make me a better person. It doesn’t help me to grow in holiness. It doesn’t draw me closer to God. It is nothing more than a very noisy distraction and waste of time.

As I’ve spent more time in the quiet, I’ve found myself watching less tv; being more discerning in what I read; turning off the radio more often. I am more careful about my interactions with people – I don’t want to hear gossip or dwell on judging others. I find myself turning to God in prayer more often, asking Him to help me with my patience and to bless people with whom I may be irritated.

Gradually I’ve found myself more at peace, less troubled by the ugly things that used to race around in my head. I’ve learned it’s easier to fill my mind with things of God, to “set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth.” (Colossians 3:2)

Being quiet takes effort, but things of value usually do. The blessings I’ve gained are enormous and I find myself seeking the interior quiet of prayer even when – especially when – I feel physically in the midst of chaos.

Quiet helped me make more room for God, and to be more purposeful in spending time with Him.  I hunger and long to dwell more fully in His presence.

Quiet has taught me.

 

 

 

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Grieve & Lament over Abominations

Sometimes I look at the world and at our country and I feel such disquiet at what I see … man’s inhumanity to man in the forms of war, human trafficking, abortion. My heart cries out for the victims and their suffering.

And my heart cries out in another way for people who are lost, oblivious to the harm they do to their body, mind and soul in so many ways by following the world and “self.”

I guess it’s true that there is nothing new under the sun. I was reading Ezekiel this morning:

… and the LORD said to him: Pass through the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and mark an X on the foreheads of those who grieve and lament over all the abominations practiced within it.” (Ezekiel 9:4)

How well-said; how familiar. I, too, grieve and lament over evil; over immorality running rampant and its cost to my fellow human beings; to abominations practiced.

I feel powerless to “stop it” or to make a real difference by my own actions, but neither can I ever become complacent and simply accept it.

No answers today, only lingering sadness.

Lord, have mercy.
Christ, have mercy.
Lord, have mercy.

**Edit** Because I love God’s timing … later in the day after writing this post, I read a quote. And somehow, it seems to fit.

Every Christ-follower has to realize that we carry a sacred, burning light that is infinitely more powerful than the lies of the enemy. Your light might seem small, but even the smallest act of love can illuminate the shadows. – Josh Wilson

 

 

 

 

 

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