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As a child I grew up in an Irish German family. For those of you not familiar with these cultures both can tend to be outspoken and verbally opinionated. These can be good traits so as I continue to share please don’t think I am disrespecting my family or anyone who has these traits.
Growing up I was a quiet child and as you can imagine being surrounded by people who loved me but were wired differently I sometimes felt out of place. However it was in this family that I learned the sound of silence and the power that it can have.
In the midst of this fabulously raucous group of people I saw a different beacon in my grandparents. Perhaps it came with age and wisdom from their journey but I saw in them the power of the sound of silence. They didn’t need to be boisterous to be heard. When they did speak everyone quieted and listened. I started to realize that their silence carried a power and often made an impact on those around them. It’s not that they never spoke or were always silent it was more the calmness that they carried within them. As I grew up I realized that this stillness was anchored in their faith.
When we know who He is and who He says we are we don’t need to respond to warfare or circumstance brashly. Jesus was confronted over and over with demonically impacted people and all he did was calmly speak and lives were changed. He also was fundamentally at odds with most of the cultural norms of the day but He didn’t let that rule Him. He was anchored in his knowledge of the Father. I see so much upheaval in our society and how we as the church respond to it will be so very vital. If we rise up with our defenses and storm the issues in our society we will show people an angry God who wants to force change against people. However if we embrace the sound of silence, the stillness that comes from knowing our God we will face these issues with love which will draw people to the true nature of God. I am not saying we shouldn’t let our voices be heard for certainly we should I am merely cautiously pointing us to what our voices sound like when we do speak. I for one want to walk as my grandparents did and to impact those around me because of it. I want to point people to the God who loves them. I want to embrace the sound of silence.