Acts
4:31
When they finished praying, the place where they were meeting was
shaken. They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to
proclaim God’s message with boldness.
“And
then a scholar said, Speak of Talking. There are those among you who
seek the talkative through fear of being alone. The silence of
aloneness reveals to their eyes their naked selves and they would
escape. And there are those who talk, and without knowledge or
forethought reveal a truth which they themselves do not understand.
And there are those who have the truth within them, but they tell it
not in words. In the bosom of such as these the spirit dwells in
rhythmic silence. When you meet your friend on the roadside or in
the market place, let the spirit in you move your lips and direct
your tongue.” (Kahlil Gibran:
The Prophet)
When
I first lived alone after 23 years of marriage, I had to have “noise”
in the house all the time. The radio, television or my favorite
music was always on. Perhaps I did not want to experience the
“silence of aloneness.”
Over
the years I began to appreciate the “alone” time. At first, it
was appreciating the silence after a hectic day at work. Gradually,
the sounds in the house did not matter to me at all. I never feel
lonely – and I am always comfortable in the silence.
I
have to say that I’ve done my share of talking as well “without
knowledge or forethought,” perhaps hurting those I’ve encountered
with my words. And a few times in my life I’ve kept silent when I
know I’ve had the “truth within” me but was not courageous
enough to speak the words.
The
gift of the Holy Spirit, given to us by Jesus following his death and
resurrection, is extremely powerful when we open our eyes to see and
our ears to listen. In this Lenten season, I hope we take time to
hear God’s voice in the silence, to think before speaking, and to
be courageous enough to speak the truth.
God
of compassion, preoccupied with ourselves, we fail to see your work
in the world. We speak when we should listen; we act when we should
reflect. Empower us to walk in your ways for the sake of Him who is
the light of the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen.
Sandra
Nicholls
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