Loud world ~ Quiet heart

"Oh, that you would be silent,

  it would be your wisdom!"

Job 13:5

You know what's hard to find?  Silence.  Honest-to-goodness, complete and total, not-a-sound silence.  I don't think I can do it.  I've tried recently. 

The first step is to stop talking.  Some days that's easier than others.  But it's always do-able.

The next step is to not be near anyone else who is talking.  This can be done in one of two ways.  You can get to a place where you're alone, or you can be near someone who is quiet.  Your call.

After that, you need to take care of noises.  Turn off the TV, turn off the radio, etc. 

But even after all that, I still find silence elusive.  In my home, I can hear the refrigerator running, or the dog barking, or the neighbor's dog barking...

Outside, I can hear the wind rustling the leaves of the trees, or birds singing, or cars going by.  If it does get quiet enough, I can sometimes hear a lizard moving through the leaves in the corner of the yard, or a far-off lawnmower, or leaf-blower.

I'm not really sure silence is possible.  Quieting one sound in my life just seems to enable me to hear another, quieter sound. 

But maybe that's the point.  Maybe just being quiet should be my goal.  God's word says that He is a still, small voice ~ and that can only be heard if the world around me is as quiet as possible.  He's there.  Sometimes with a word of Scripture in my mind; sometimes in the singing of those birds.  Silence is not mine to achieve.  But I can be quiet.

~ "In quietness and confidence shall be your strength" ~

Isaiah 30:15