The Comfort of Silence

Silence can be deafening.

Ask any young parent who enters their home after dropping the kids at school or camp and they will tell you how strange their quiet house sounds.

Silence can also be debilitating.

There’s nothing quite as cruel as giving someone the silent treatment. By doing so, the person is robbed of their ability to speak because their words fall on deaf ears, making them feel unworthy and full of frustration.

But silence can also define a great relationship.

My grandson, when he plays beside me humming cheerfully, fills my heart with peace.

My granddaughter, who will randomly wrap her little arms around my neck and quietly rest on me, fills my heart with a joy I can barely contain.

My best friend is someone I can talk to about anything or nothing at all, knowing she understands even my unspoken words.

My husband, who knows me better than anyone, can hear my heart by just looking in my eyes.

There’s nothing quite like being comfortable enough with someone to simply be together without feeling the need to speak.

Sometimes it’s in the silence that we are the most comforted.

I think it’s the way, in those particular relationships, that we understand we are accepted completely.

There’s no pretense when I’m around the people who truly love me.

I don’t feel the need to fill space with words to keep them from judging me.

It’s simply a comfortable relief to land in the presence of one of the people on this planet who completely know me and love me anyway.

Sometimes we feel like God is silent. I think this usually happens when we are in the middle of a problem, looking for an immediate solution. After all, who likes to be in pain?

I think, in times like these, we misinterpret the silence.

When my husband catches my eye across the room and smiles at me, his silence definitely isn’t a sign of indifference.

He’s letting me know so much without saying a word.

As I sit alone with my feelings, God’s silence can speak to me too.

Sometimes just resting in His presence reminds me to breathe, to let go, and to accept that He knows the ending to my story.

It’s not like I always want to be surrounded by silence though.

I love to listen to praise music and read the Bible.

I enjoy going to church and being taught the truths of the Scriptures. I love to pour out my heart in prayer.

But I also love to sit on my deck, letting the sun wash over me, and feel the quiet presence of the Lord.

In times like these, I’m always reminded that He never leaves me.

He’s there even in the silence of my life.

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