Re-gift quiet

I’m joining in with Five Minute Friday and today’s word is

“Quiet”

In the world, in our town, and even in our house there’s rarely quietness. Just this past week there’s the noises of the washing machine and dryer rumbling, the dog barking (a lot) at the squirrels burying nuts in our back yard, our son listening to music with the volume cranked up and the thump that seems to shake all the walls in our house, the whirling of the mixer as our daughter is making cookies for a science fair project, laughter, a few whines, hearing stories from school and days events at the dinner table. It seems there’s always TV or iPod playing music…some kind of noise.

All sounds I love to hear. But I still need that quiet, still space.  Quietness is a gift.   I remember reading something Frederick Buechner wrote that said,

“Silence is a given, quite a gift.  Silence is the absence of sound and quiet the stilling of sound.  Silence can’t be anything but silent.  Quiet chooses to be silent.”

This past summer a certain Scripture just “showed up” several times.  Isaiah 30:15  It obviously was something  I frequently needed as a reminder because it’s so easy to be caught up in the noise of daily living.

“In quietness and trust is your strength” 

I hope in the next month and a half we’ll all make time for quiet.  There’s already Christmas music playing in stores, on commercials, decorations are even up on some downtown poles already.  So early!  Think of them as reminders to be quiet.  Even if just for a moment. 

Accept quietness as a gift.  Then re-gift that gift and give quiet back to God.  Be still.  Be silent.  Listen.  Rest.  Be quiet.