Way back when I was discerning whether or not to become a religious sister, I learned the practice of Centering Prayer, and I fell in love with this form of prayer. As I gradually worked up to 20 minutes of centering prayer ever day,I felt changed. I felt different ( a "good" kind of different) and, almost new, after each session of just being with God. We've all heard people talking about hanging out with the wrong crowd and eventually doing what they do. Well, the same is true for hanging out with God. The more you are with someone, the greater the influence they have upon you, and the more like them you become. Spend time with God, and not just talking to God, and you will become more like God. I probably couldn't articulate very well what I felt I was evolving into, but I knew in my heart that this was a very powerful, very potent, life-changing prayer. Through the power of Silence, I was able to heal many aspects of my life, I was able to accept who I was, and I was able to discern the direction of my life with greater clarity and purpose. As time went on, and I married and had children, I eventually gave up this part of my spiritual life. But in the last two years, I felt God drawing me back to the quiet. With three small children, there isn't much quiet in our home, but I decided to let this become part of my morning prayer routine once again, for if there is one thing the collective soul of our world lacks, it is Silence. What I have come to realize through participating in this type of prayer, reading, and doing research on the subject is that Silence = God. When we make room for Silence in our life, we are opening ourselves up to the voice of God. If someone who was ill came to me and asked for advice on healing, I would advise them to follow their doctor's recommendation, but sit in the Silence, meditate in the presence of God. Medicine can sometimes be a band-aid over deeper emotional wounds that only God can slowly but surely call forth from our hearts, and our bodies, in the time and space that we can emotionally deal with them. More and more, research is finding that body, mind, and spirit are so interconnected that just taking pills for ailments doesn't always get to the bottom of the real issue at hand. If someone came to me and asked about losing weight, again, I would recommend eating healthier, exercise, and silent meditation. So many people who struggle with being overweight are literally carrying the "weight of their world" on their bodies. The weight of abuse, anger, fear, resentments, worry, and depression can manifest itself in extra pounds. Taking the "weight" of your world to the Silence can help with the emotional part of why you are eating. God can clearly and directly speak to our hearts when we surrender to Silence. Surrendering to the power of Silence changes how you see yourself and the world. Letting Silence in, empowers you to let go of the need to control other people and circumstances. It allows you to be less judgmental and critical of what others do, or do not do. Silence empowers you to take risks and follow your heart. Silence deepens faith and trust that all is well. Making use of the gift of Silence enables us to make better decisions for our lives and gives us clarity about what is possible for us and the rest of the human race. Silence cleanses us from all that is not of God. In the Silence we discover the truth about ourselves, and we are set free from our own demons. Silence liberates us from the walls we build around our hearts, and frees us to give and receive genuine love.
Silence delivers us from our own shame and guilt and carries us to a fresh and deeply felt peace. In giving ourselves over to Silence, we allow miracles to happen, where we once didn't believe they could happen. Silence is the key to unlocking the gates of heaven-in-us, which eventually calls us to building the kingdom outside of us. Silence inspires us to serve others, to give from our abundance, and help our neighbor in need. Silence helps us connect our heads to our hearts and takes what we already know we should do, to actually getting it done. Silence is the bridge-builder from hatred to love, from judgment to forgiveness, and from fear to faith. Many people believe that God doesn't really want to talk to them, that they can't know what God wants of them, or that God is too mysterious to reveal much of anything to them. Not true. God is always seeking us out for conversation, always thinking through us in our thoughts, always longing to interact with us in many forms. Unfortunately, we don't always make ourselves available to hear what God wants to tell us.
With many homes having at least three televisions with three hundred channels, cell phones that are constantly at our disposal, even in our "down" times, and mp3 players stuck in our ears, it can be difficult for God to get through to us. The noise of our world has increased to a fevered pitch and so has our need for Silence. Shutting off the television a half an hour earlier than normal can make us more available to Silence. I used to listen to television while I was getting myself showered, dressed, and ready for the day. Just shutting off the television while fixing my hair has increased my ability to hear what God wants me to know. I have often had some of my most inspiring and profound moments with God during that time. Many of the prayers I've written have found their beginnings at that time of day simply because my ears weren't tuned into the local weather or the latest robbery that took place across town. Shutting off the radios in our cars while driving is another way to build in a few minutes of Silence. Reflect on your day, and see where you could possibly give more attention to Silence. If you are really serious about changing your life, include Silence. It is a guarantee that if you consistently commit yourself to Silence, you can't help but be changed. I really believe that if business owners and their employees began their workdays with Silence, we would see an enormous shift in what customer service really means, which would lead to abundance in profits as well as giving back to the community. What if Congress and the President began their day with all public servants making their hearts available to the power of Silence? I don't think our political agendas would look nearly like they do now. People would be served instead of Wall Street. We wouldn't allow hunger to exist, and war wouldn't even be an option. Common sense would reign over senselessness. Departments of peace might be established instead of Departments of Defense. Silence allows us to envision a prosperous world and a bright future.
Silence has the power to change our thinking and helps us make the shift from impossible to possible.
I remember all of the paperwork that I went home with when I had each of my children. So many instructions about feeding, diapering, fevers, and swaddling. No one mentions that not only are we raising a physical human being, but we are also shaping and guiding a brand new spirit. Every baby and mother should be wrapped with a tag that says:
Fragile: Handle with Care and Silence.
Stress levels are reduced greatly when silence is practiced on a regular basis. If parents can learn to commit to silence, then we can teach our children the gift of Silence and the power it can have in their lives. It becomes another place of support, the support of a loving God, as children grow older and start making decisions about their own lives. I once taught fifth grade in a parochial school, and when the kids came back from recess, I would ask them to sit for two minutes in complete silence. No music. No talking. No instruction. They could lay their heads on the desk if they wanted, and I would turn the lights off and light the class candle. They loved it. If, for some reason, I forgot, they would remind me of their silent time. For two minutes, they absorbed the silence. And when we did get back to "work", they were much more ready to make the transition back to the subject at hand. Just two minutes out of our day, made them more productive, more thoughtful about what they were doing, and more attentive.
Silence is not just for the "saints, mystics, and the ordained". It is a gift of God, meant for every person, no matter what your circumstances are. We commit to Silence because we already are the saint, the mystic, and the ordained one just waiting to emerge from our depths. To deny ourselves time for Silence, is to deny God. It is a need, not a want, a wish, or a hope. It is the key to becoming who you were meant to become. It is the key to understanding God, and the spiritual journey we are all on. Commit to Silence, and you have committed yourself to happiness, true purpose, clear direction, healing, and a deeper sense of peace. You have committed to becoming more of the "you" you've know all along you were destined to become. Silence changes lives, every life. I believe no one is too hopeless a human being that they can't be changed by Silence, even the most hardened criminal. It is the cloak that the woman touched in order to feel the healing power of Jesus. It is the "upper room" where the friends of Jesus gathered to pray. It is the wedding feast where Jesus turned water in to wine. It is the burning bush, and the holy ground, where Moses felt compelled to take off his sandals. It is the greenest pasture where the Shepherd leads his sheep and always seeks for the lost.
Next Week: Spiritual Growth- what are the signs that we are actually growing spiritually? Can spiritual growth be measured?
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