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Silence IV ...

Wed, Aug 6, 2014. Our life is often filled with many things. We are full of the ideas and demands of our environment. Humans are social beings, and the opinion of other people is important to shape our own opinion. We are filled by the expectations of others, by what we think will please them and what will be impressive in their eyes.

Silence helps to gain some distance …

One of the key points of silence is to gain some distance to the expectations and ideas which try to influence us day by day. When you take time to sit in a quiet place and watch the grassland, trees, flowers and birds, it might be easier to realize that spending money on many things is not so important.

Also, silence makes it easier to have a reviesed view on some conflicts. Usually, we take conflicts with us, where ever we go. We might try to run away, but it does not work. When we are hurt, we will take this with us and it will still be active in us even when we are far away. But silent time can help to face the conflicts, when we are just with us. We can try to see clearly the origin of a particular conflict, and to understand what moments in our own motives make it difficult for us.

Sometimes we need silence (and courage) to face what is not good in our life. We have some behaviour which is destructive. We have some behavioural patterns which are just not helpful. We might run away from some responsibility. Or we might have some dependencies and addictions, which we need to get rid of. But we fear to be free. When we go into silence, and take time, and take courage, then we might be able to address these questions, step by step.

Silence to Meet God …

But there is much more in silence than just time to ask the right questions or find to a better view of ourselves. Silence can be a time of prayer, a time to talk to God and to listen to God. Jesus has promised his Holy Spirits to all who believe in him. And indeed, it is an experience of many Christians that his spirit comes, that he helps us to understand, and that he talks to us in prayer and silence.

When God starts to talk, silence can be a fantastic and intense time. It can also be fantastic when we just get to some calm state with our soul. But when God talks, it is usually a deep view into our life, full of truth without illusions, but full of hope and new possibilities at the same time. I believe that God can transform any of our goals, dreams and hopes into something good! That is what I experience every single time I sincerely go to him in prayer and silence.

And God can also transform our failures and our bad habits. He can make something good out of every part of our character. We will not stay the same. Meeting God always means to be changed, to be transformed. But it is a fantastic and positive transformation. And it cannot be achieved without silence, without prayer, without the time with the Lord. Silence is crucial! (Roland Potthast) ... more texts