So, on the topic of listening, here’s a thought:

While reading this current paragraph, as soon as you’re done, stand up (whether you’re at work or home), go somewhere in your home or office that’s quiet. It could be a meeting room, the living room, or even a toilet in either one.

Be completely quiet, and start listening. To anything. Start picking out and naming sounds you can hear and sift through them one by one. Search for the silence. Take 5 minutes for this.  Go on, I’m waiting. When you’re done, come back and read onwards.

1. What are the different sounds you heard?

2. How long did it take for you to find the silence in the noise?

3. What did you feel when you finally found it?

That silence is your true self, the self that is drowned out in the mundane noise of daily life. Man and woman at their core are silent beings, we were born in the wombs of our mothers, quiet and cushy, so our ears are accustomed to listening. We then die with people around us being silent as we do so. The time in between is spent with the world stuffing our ears with as much noise as possible.

This is why, when we walk into a church or a mosque or a prayer room, we automatically quieten down. We want to hear ourselves and God. In conversation.

Now imagine looking for the real, silent selves of the young Christian youth on social network sites. Sift through the noise they are surrounded by in their respective networks, forums and groups, and listen to what they’re REALLY saying between the lines.

Have a silent day 🙂