Silence

How long is the longest you've ever been completely silent? Not when you were on your own or with strangers but in the company of friends or relatives? Today my mother made a comment about wanting peace and quiet and how it is impossible to "not talk", specially if you live in a household as large, loud, and accusitory as mine. So I set out on a quest. A quest to see how long I could truly be silent, no talking, no noises, nothing.

In a culture and society where everything is about finding your voice and being heard, the Bible is funny in that it speaks about the value of silence. Being still and knowing God is God. Being swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath. Knowing that there is a time for everything under the sun, a time to speak and a time to be silent. I don't think most of us have problems speaking when it comes to our friends and family, and I know I don't have any problems when it comes to talking during confrontation, or correction. I think the harder, and many times wiser, route is the route of silence. Not to be confused with apathy or complacency, but holding our tongues even when it's hard. Especially when it's hard. Like my dad always said about shoveling snow,

"It builds character."