The most expressive part of his repertoire emerged as he matured. He could trigger worlds of thought and sentiment in us by the tilt of an eyebrow or with a smile. His signature "Youth, Maturity, Old Age and Death" carried one through the course of an entire human life in four to five minutes. As people got older, they watched with deeper passion and understanding. But even the young who witnessed it were drawn into deep reflection on the meaning of life.

Perhaps the silent beauty of Marceau resonated for people for half a century because of the addiction to noise that complicates life for most of us.

I confess it. I am addicted to the noise of a TV I am not watching and the music or talk on my car radio I am not hearing. Maybe that is why one of the spiritual disciplines is silence.

As you drive home from work this afternoon, leave the radio off!

As a spiritual discipline, silence is the deliberate shutting away of people and things that intrude noise into one’s consciousness so that it can be fully attuned to God. It is being still, so we can know that God is sovereign — and we are not. It is refusing to be distracted from the divine presence. It is being quiet, reflective, and open to the very voice of God.

Silence, which almost always requires solitude, is a humbling thing for the powerful. It reminds them that the real power in this cosmos is in the voice of God, not in their instructions for and demands upon their peers. It is also uplifting to the not-so-powerful, for it reminds them that there is only one voice that must be heard. Even in our weakness, God will not abandon us.

As you drive home from work this afternoon, leave the radio off and reflect on the presence of God with you or some divine attribute for which you are especially grateful right now. In the quiet few moments before you fall asleep tonight or before you get out of bed in the morning, focus on the Lord and turn over a favorite passage of Scripture.

An artist reminded us that silence sometimes says more than words can. God waits to be our teacher in the still moments we share with him. Thus he calls us: "Be still, and know that I am God" (Psalm 46:10).

 

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© 2007 Used by permission. From Rubel Shelly's "FAX of Life" printed each Tuesday. See Faith Matters for previous issues of the "FAX of Life."

Title: "Beauty in Silence"
Author: Rubel Shelly
Publication Date: October 04, 2007

The Purpose-Driven Life by Rick Warren Takes the message of The Purpose-Driven Church and shows us how to apply it to our individual lives.

Rubel Shelly preached for the Woodmont Hills Churchin Nashville for thirty years. He is the author of more than 20 books. He has accepted the position of President of Rochester College. For more details, click here or here to email.

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