The Gift of Silence
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Growing up I loved being by myself. I was somewhat shy and I was also content with what was in front of me; journals, Barbie’s, dolls, coloring books and all a kid could ever ask for. Not much changed when I reached my teen years, I found a love for reading and writing and nothing else really mattered. I was social, don’t get me wrong, I hung out with family and friends but at the end of the day I was always excited to be back in my room.
A few years ago, all of that changed. I remember when I first became more of a social butterfly, I started to crave hearing from other people. I always wanted to hang out and be around them. This was a vast change from how I used to be as I went from loving alone time to desiring time with other people; so much so that when I wasn’t with others, it bothered me.
I’ve come to realize that time alone isn’t a bad thing. What if those moments of silence were the perfect opportunity to get away with God? To get to know Him and even to get to know yourself. What if times of silence were used to enjoy God and time in His presence? Let’s be real, when we’re out with others or when we have a busy calendar, do we really give God as much time as we could?
Not to be legalistic but a relationship with God is the most important relationship we will ever have. Our relationship with Him is as strong or as weak as we allow it to be. It’s in moments of silence that we are presented with the perfect opportunity to cultivate our relationship with Him. In His presence, we learn so much more than we could ever imagine about life and relationships. He’ll show us what we can change and how to change it. From that place we’ll find ourselves in some of the most lasting and fruitful relationships.
Don’t get me wrong, it’s great to have friends, in fact we were created for community, but there’s something about communing with God that satisfies us like nothing else can or ever will. In the presence of God, we have all that we will ever need. When we intentionally bask in His presence we can receive what we need so that we aren’t projecting those needs or any other high expectations on others.
When we freely receive from God all that we need we find the freedom to enjoy our friends without expecting anything in return. Out of our fulfillment from our time with God we will find that our relationships are more fulfilling instead of draining and full of unrealistic expectations. In all actuality, silence can be a blessing in disguise. A blessing that pushes us toward the presence of God and into all that He’s purposed for us to have.
As we enter into 2018, let’s put and keep first things first. Let’s allow God to be God and spend time with Him because He longs for you! Not only that but His presence is the best gift we could ever receive. After all, He bankrupted Heaven to have a relationship with us. Why not make use of the beautiful gift He so freely gave? Time in His presence is never a waste in fact it’s a blessing that holds more worth than we could ever imagine.