Silence. It can be calming or it can be a time for thoughts to surface once again. This could be a list of the things that you need to get from Target, a to-do highlighting the household chores that need to be completed, or even that one song that always seems to get stuck in your head. It is human for us to want to fill this emptiness with thoughts, noise, or even something as simple as hearing the wind blow or the air conditioner turn on. For many this time of silence can be a sense of relief from the hustle of life and the many activities it may bring but for some, it lets the fear surface. This time of silence can be an unknown time for a person living with mental illness. When you experience anxiety the silence can be overwhelming, this time of quietness turns into a storm of racing thoughts and what-ifs or it takes the opposite effect and you feel more alone than ever. It may be hard to see any bright side when this is the silence that you may know.
However, what if this silence is a way for us to experience peace? I believe that God can use times when the world is silent to connect and be near his people even when we don’t believe he is near. Sometimes when we feel like we are in silence, with our thoughts or just alone, I believe that God can give us these times to bring us peace. What if the times that there is silence can be used to give us a time to slow down and be in God’s peace? I know, personally, that this thought is scary and it means that I am alone with myself but the reality is even when we don’t feel God, He is always there. I think some of my most calming moments are when I have accepted the silence and believed in the peace that follows. In the book of Isaiah, he writes, “Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed, yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,’ says the Lord, who has compassion on you.” (Isaiah 54:10) This poem is a testimony to the people of Israel that God has sworn to never be angry with his people but has called them back. Even when the world may shake and the skies may tremble God has granted us, His people, peace. This idea may seem scary and even sometimes out of reach. It might seem impossible to be willing to completely let go and embrace silence. I have struggled with these ideas myself, having to let go of the control that I have or to embrace the thoughts and experiences that come with being in silence but I am starting to be okay with not being completely okay.
As we think about people with mental illness sometimes there can be peace in just being present, allowing ourselves to just dwell among them. When I think about the idea about dwelling among people I remember Jesus and how he sat among those who needed him most. He provided them with just another person to be with and sometimes they sat in silence. I believe these are some of the most powerful moments of peace demonstrated in the Bible. When Jesus or others take the time just to be with people with no advice, just acknowledgment, it can be what that person wants and needs the most. A message that the person is seen, cared about and loved. My hope for the people of Grace is that we approach silence differently. Whether it is embracing God’s peace during silence, allowing silence even when we desire to speak, or just being with someone in their silence to show love can help us see God’s peace in a different way.
I want to end this devotional not with a prayer but a song. I believe that music in times when words cannot be formed by our own mouths can help us understand how ourselves or others might feel. The song comes from the movie, “Joseph: King of Dreams.” In this song, Joseph is in the pit praying to God about what has happened to him and understanding God’s plan for him. This song was powerful when I would watch this movie as a kid but now during times of uncertainty, I listen to this song as not only a prayer for myself but the world around me.
Better
Than I–Joseph: King of Dreams
—
Bekah Hirt
Part-Time EL Teacher
Ramsey
