Previous Challenge Entry (Level 2 – Intermediate)
Topic: Hum (06/06/13)
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TITLE: Shhhhhh | Previous Challenge Entry
By Lisa Hudson
06/11/13 -
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Is it ever truly quiet? Do we ever experience absolute silence? As I sit here pondering this earth-shaking question, I am aware of various ‘white’ noises in the room including the buzzing sound coming from the track lighting above my head and the numerous office machines humming patiently, while on ‘stand-by’. As much as I love to hear music while I’m working, by days’ end I am ready for quiet and turn the radio off. Perhaps our appreciation for ‘quiet’ is something we acquire with age. Yes, I am certain this is true.
As a teenager, I remember doing my homework while talking on the phone and listening to music, all at the same time. I bet I even snuck in a few glances at the television as well! We won’t talk about how the homework thing turned out. Quiet was boring. Quiet was what old people were, what they always want to have around them, what they look forward to. Oops. I guess I have to admit it. I am older. Not old, mind you, just older.
Unlike before, I like to wake up in the morning and just sit up in my bed, easing my brain into the day ahead. I might close my eyes and lean my head back against the pillows. I might even doze a little bit, but it is peaceful. My dear husband might catch me in this state, as he puts my favorite cup of mocha coffee under my nose, until my senses have no choice but to wake up to the delightful, chocolaty aroma. Sometimes he and I sit together quietly, and other times we might talk about the tasks before us. Although I don’t consider myself a morning person, this is a favorite time of the day for me…probably because it is quiet! (chuckle)
Even when we are blessed with opportunities to get away from it all, perhaps up to the mountains or down to the ocean, it is never completely silent. I love to sit in a weathered rocking chair while taking in the beautiful, woodsy scene before me, where I can hear the creaking of the wood as I slowly rock back and forth. I can hear birds chirping high in the trees, and frogs croaking softly in the distance. One of my favorite sounds is when you can hear the wind blow through the leaves on the trees. What a peaceful sound that is. It makes me think of when Jesus was talking to Nicodemus in John 3:8, about how we don’t know where the wind comes from or where it is going, but we can hear it and know it exists, as with God’s Spirit. Just then my face is caressed with a warm and gentle breeze as if God Himself is confirming His presence. I can’t help but close my eyes and smile at the thought.
Once I attended a seminar in Florida, and I thought the room I had been given surely must have been a mistake. It was a corner room that had a sliding glass door leading out to a balcony that overlooked a breathtaking view of the foamy, blue-green ocean. I didn’t bother to turn on a light or the television. I simply stood there in awe as I listened to the waves come in, then roll back out, breathing in the salty air that was being carried by that mysterious wind. I confess, the seminar was the last thing I had on my mind. I could have stayed in that room the entire duration of the trip, just watching and listening in wonder.
Yes, noise can definitely be over-rated. Even though it may be virtually impossible to find a place of complete and total silence, there is something to be said for the ‘quiet’ noises that surround us. It is during these moments when I believe I might actually be able to hear the still, small voice of God, and that is something I don’t want to miss.
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