Silence

We had a silent retreat yesterday....silence meaning we couldn't talk for about 4 hours. I've heard of silent retreats that last for a few days and I've learned, through these few hours, how much you can hear when you are simply silent. All of the sudden birds actually sing, and trees actually whisper and children actually laugh...its beautiful.

It's amazing how long it takes to become 'silent'. The thought of 'I need to be silent' even becomes a distracting noise. Pushing past that all though, it is in silence that God speaks. Sitting in a shady, grassy area in a gorgeous State Park in Texas, I read the words, "What a lovely, pleasant sight you are, my love, as we lie here on the grass, shaded by cedar trees and spreading firs" (Song of Solomon 1:16-17) It was in this moment that I remembered that my identity is found in God...the One who tells me I am lovely...that I am beautiful because He fashioned me. The one who whispers to me in the trees, and sings to me in the birds, and laughs with me through children. It was in this moment that I remembered to whom I belong.