OUT OF THE SILENCE

I keep returning to the concept of “out of the silence.” God can speak through anyone and any thing. But in the parable of the sower in Matthew 13:18-23, Jesus seems to indicate that well cultivated and good soil is where the seeds do their best. So I cultivate the soil of my soul; I lay the wood for the fire; I mend my nets for the catch. Pick a metaphor, it’s the work done before hand, the time and energy expended, and then the laying it all down, being still, and listening in the silence of my thoughts to God’s thoughts, that I will hear God speak best.

Maybe that is where the age factor comes in. I can’t remember yesterday’s events unless I’ve written them down. So in the morning everything is new. I knew it all when I was young. I could argue with the best of them. Now I can’t trust my mind. I must listen and depend upon God’s wisdom. My part is to make a hospitable place for the seed of God’s word to grow.

This makes a change in my work. Researching for answers becomes resonating with what is. The studying for information becomes sitting for inspiration. It’s looking beyond the work to hear the word of God that comes out of the silence. I don’t think that just applies to spiritual issues; it is more of a total lifestyle. Imagine a society that followed this pattern; or those who handle the world’s matters. If I saw everything I do in this light it certainly will create and produce good fruit in whatever I do.

As a writer I want that; as a person I want that. I want to live my entire life out of the silence. Cultivate what I can, plant what I want, and then wait…for the plant to bear fruit, the spark to light the fire, the net to gather the catch. Out of the silence is a lifestyle I choose to live.