SILENCE:

Yesterday morning I took 30 minutes at the beginning of my day and sat in silence listening to at least 4 different types of birds chirping, including my favorite, the mourning dove. I could hear the trickle of some water running somewhere fairly near, the leaves rustling in the  slight breeze,  and a little animal scampering along the pavement. This not my normal routine and I often find it difficult to just ‘sit’ for any length of time. Always something to do!

Certainly the idea is not a novel one to me but I have been doing some reading on the benefits of ‘first morning silence’. Noise is abundant in our lives everyday from dawn to dusk…….T.V.’s, I Pads, I Pods, phones, emails,  text messages, Facebook, Instagram, and many other things that clutter our immediate world. It can almost be overwhelming. This seems to be especially so when you are trying to think something through or you are experiencing ‘burnout’….of something or everything!

Here are the eight benefits of silence and solitude as quoted in Outreach magazine, written by Charles Stone (July 26, 2018, the senior Pastor of West Park Church in London, Ontario, Canada and  the founder of StoneWell Ministries).

• “It breaks the power of hurry, our addiction to a ‘have-to-do-this’ mentality.
• It helps renew our souls.
• It reminds us that life will still go on without us.
• It clears the storm of life and mind for wise decision – making and planning.
• It creates inner space to hear the voice of God.
• It allows us to disconnect from the world and deeply connect with our soul.
• It helps us control our tongue.
• It helps us with the other disciplines.”

At the end of my first 30 minute trial, I felt a  calm sense of well – being. It will become a new part of my morning routine. It is most definitely worth letting go of those 30 minutes. More to come……..

PJP