EMBRACING SILENCE

I guess I should have shared this before the day that it starts

which is today - sorry, I'm late

October 1st

 

through

October 5th

{but it's been done before and hopefully will again, 

however, you could do this anytime and continue...}

5 Minutes with Jesus

This challenge is with Sheila Walsh's devotional bundle through FaithGateway

YouVersion also has 5 day reading plans:

5 MINUTES WITH JESUS: MAKING TODAY MATTER 5 MINUTES WITH JESUS: PEACE FOR TODAY 5 MINUTES WITH JESUS: A FRESH INFUSION OF JOY 5 MINUTES WITH JESUS: QUIET TIME FOR YOUR SOUL

...when you sign-up, you receive free downloads, one of which includes:

"Quiet Time Strategies and Prayer"

and

midway through this pdf

I read this:

"... Embracing Silence ... "First we need to get comfortable with the silence! For just a few minutes each day, unplug. Turn off anything that makes background noise. You might be surprised how threatening it feels at first! If it helps ease your mind, set a timer and remind yourself that it is very unlikely that anything will occur in that five minutes that cannot wait. Then take a few deep breaths, and sit quietly with God. Read a psalm. Say a prayer. Sing a hymn or song of praise. Read a devotional like one of those in the 5 Minutes with Jesus series. How you spend your time with God is up to you!" ...

the rest of this is just as valuable

HOWEVER

I pause with those first words

EMBRACING SILENCE

even when I try

my mind

does

NOT

my mind needs to be rewired

to learn to stop 

any whirring

of

thoughts

and

noises

{both exterior and interior}

to be void and quiet to listen

to hear the small

whispers

of

God

and

BE STILL

it's quite the struggle for me

and

a real learning process

I spend much time trying to be in silence

and unlike others; it's not the phone or tv or social media

that disrupts my silence

I won't even try to explain the details of all this personal deal

but the first devotion by Sheila Walsh

in another free download of

5 days of Quiet Time devotions

to get started

with perfect words

"Noise Pollution"

which of course, is about those other sounds

You might think that being a person

with newly discovered hearing loss

and 

learning to get accustom to my

hearing aides

mainly

to train my brain

I am keenly aware of sounds

Many times I take them out

with the hope of not hearing sounds

but it doesn't work

Upon first learning of my hearing loss,

I thought I would treasure all noises

and be grateful that I can still hear

even without using them

but it's a matter of

retraining your brain as to what sounds

are important to hear and those that you don't need

{like hearing myself chew or my dog's nails on the floor}

So

I am trying to

EMBRACE

SILENCE

and

plan to get away from home alone

later this week until a special day next week

{actually for this day to make it special for me}

going up north

with the

cold

not as enjoyable

but

I was hoping to capture the

fall colors and nature

with

God

so

I'll be taking my bundle of

Quiet Time

with me

Since I am in the habit of spending my waking moments

with

Jesus

in the quiet of the morning

and

ending with His Word & Him

in the evening

this is not the part that is the challenge for me

{I do know however that this challenge is for me (and you) if you let it}

Hope you can find some

Quiet and Rest

in the days ahead

also

Peace be with you

in

Jesus Christ