All these photos have something in common.
Two things actually.
Aside from the fact that I really enjoy comparing lines, each one of thee photos elicited a different feeling for me.
Emotional response? Flat line? Or somewhere in between?
Won’t you tell me in the comments what came to your mind when you saw them?
It’s been raining for days.
Rain in April is great. Not so much all through April AND May.
The joke here in the mid-west is some variation of “If you don’t like the weather, wait five minutes, it will change.”
Or “9:00 AM – Winter, 11:00 AM, – Spring, 1:00 PM – Summer, 3:00 PM – Fall.”
We have often used the furnace and the air conditioning in the same day.
An annoyance to be sure, but relatively harmless.
This constant rain has some long lasting repercussions.
On the the small side – mowing grass is really difficult.
On the larger, more impactful side, the farmers cannot get to their fields. The impact will be far reaching, and most likely the costs of everything will rise.
How does any of this connect with “Quiet” or “Quietude” or “Quiescence”?
The answer is simple. Not easy. But simple.
Weather is among a long list of things that we have absolutely no control over.
If I cannot control it, then what must I do to get through it without bringing myself and those around me down?
I have found that when I take the time for quiet. Five minutes. Fifteen minutes. Thirty minutes. Whatever I can, then my mind can calm down.
When my mind is no longer running amok, then I can think rationally about what steps need to be taken next.
If we leave our minds to their own devices, they can get crazy in a hurry, and it can take a really long time to come back from all that trauma and drama.
So take a moment, or four, with me, and gather your thoughts. Calm your mind.
Be able to be constructively helpful, even when times are tough.
You may even be able to enjoy some flowers in the midst of the storm.
The very idea of “Quiet time” freaks some people out.
For some, perhaps they are frightened by what they may confront in their minds.
For some, their mind is such a busy place, that finding a quiet corner there is nigh on impossible.
Personally, even as a proponent of “Quietude”, I am more than capable of interrupting my own quiet time.
Sometimes, it’s for really important things, other times, simply put, it’s for drivel.
I found this post from 2010 that I wrote about quiet.
It really made me stop again and re-consider my need for some solace.
https://prayzhimtoday.blogspot.com/2010/07/sound-of-silence.html
Listen. Do you hear it? The sound of silence. It does have a sound you know. The absence of noise. It kind of rings in your ears after a days worth of loud. Do you long to hear God? Do you need to hear His voice? How do you hear Him? When your day begins with noise and ends with the news. Everything in between moving, clicking, whirring, honking and yelling and clamoring for your attention.
Today I had opportunity to rest, in quiet, and wait for His voice. It had to be a choice. Like Jesus, God’s own Son, choosing to remove Himself to a solitary place to hear the father. While the storm (literally) raged outside, I sat in the calmness, until the ringing stopped, and the clear voice of the Spirit soothed my soul.
Thank you Father for the sound of silence.
The busier I get, the more I need it; and the more it tends to get relegated to the bottom of the list.
Next week I’ll have a new video; but here is an older one to get you started.
Until then, I’m off to make the ringing stop!
Significant Encounters 
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