Enjoy the Beauty and Benefits of Silence
We all know how busy life can be. Busyness can be productive, but it can also hinder us from experiencing the beauty and benefits of silence.
A wise person once said, “Silence is golden.” The older I grow, the more I agree.
Sailor-Man and I have crossed several time zones in quick succession while traveling for ministry since August. We’ve walked alongside friends struggling with terminal illnesses. I launched one book while writing another, and Sailor-Man underwent surgery less than three weeks ago.
Now it’s time to stop, be still, and bask in the beauty of silence. Pressing pause provides rest for the body. Silence provides rest for the soul.
I need it. You do, too. But we won’t experience it without intentionality.
A common hindrance to silence
We all know how busy life can be. Busyness can be productive, but it can also hinder us from experiencing the beauty and benefits of silence.
Years ago, I read an article that suggested our North American society applauds a full calendar. It equates busyness with importance, so we rush from one commitment to the next, juggling family and work and volunteer roles.
On good days, we pat ourselves on the back, proud of our ability to keep all the balls in the air. But when the balls begin to fall, resentment creeps in.
We feel like Martha, who busied herself in the kitchen while her sister sat at Jesus’s feet. We empathize with her outburst: “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself?” (Luke 10:40 NIV)
The article suggested taking a hard look at our calendar. Granted, some life seasons are justifiably busy, especially when we’re primary caregivers for those we love. But sometimes our calendar is rooted in fear.
We fear saying no lest we disappoint someone. We struggle with FOMO – the fear of missing out. We fear trusting others with responsibility lest they don’t do the job as well as we can.
The result? We become trapped in noise and bluster and rush. We suffer for it, and those around us suffer, too.
I’ve taken that article to heart this year and done what it suggested. I’ve taken a hard look at my calendar and discovered several commitments rooted in the fears mentioned above. After much prayer, I let them go. I’ve also spent less time on social media.
Can you guess what happened? I created margin to exhale, and I re-discovered the beauty and benefits of silence.
The beauty and benefits of silence
Silence provides mental, emotional, physical, and spiritual benefits. Here’s how:
- Mental
We may be prone to run pell-mell at breakneck speed, but silence requires us to slow down and think about the direction we’re taking and why. It gives us space to weigh our decisions and choose wisely.
Silence helps us gain clarity. A life and wellness coach compares it to a snow globe: “Think about the snow globe when you shake it upside down, then turn it right side up and see the particles start to settle. This settling is similar to what happens in our minds when we are quiet. ‘When we’re constantly running around in life, we won’t be able to get clear on anything,’ he says.”
- Emotional
Constant busyness prevents us from processing our emotions in a healthy way. If anything, it enables or forces us to stuff them. Eventually, suppressed grief, anger, and unforgiveness will manifest themselves. We’ll do or say something regrettable. We may even become physically ill.
Silence provides the space we need to process emotional pain, to acknowledge what we’ve done or what’s happened to us and how it’s affected us. Processing our pain is necessary to experience inner healing, and silence allows the opportunity to take this step.
- Physical
The brain and the body function as a team. When the brain is stressed (remember the shaken snow globe), the body reacts. We might become ill, lose our appetite, or lose our ability to sleep well.
The opposite is true. When the brain is relaxed, the body relaxes, too, and that’s when it can heal.
- Spiritual
Our world is a noisy place with many voices clamoring for our attention. Creating space for silence necessitates shutting out those voices. Doing so tunes our ear to hear the voice of One.
The psalmist wrote, “For God alone my soul waits in silence; From Him comes my salvation.” (Psalm 62:1 AMP)
The phrase “waits in silence” infers quietness and rest. Our souls crave these things, but nothing satisfies apart from the Creator of our souls. He alone meets us at our deepest point of need, and He longs to do so, but again, this requires intentionality on our part.
Practical ways to integrate silence into your life
Depending on your circumstances, integrating silence into your life might mean taking a break to rest, read, and reflect, like Sailor-Man and I are doing this week.
Perhaps your circumstances won’t allow a break away. I “get” that. When my kids were still home, my times of “waiting in silence” were short and scattered throughout my day.
I rose before the rest of my family to spend a half hour uninterrupted in the Word. After putting the kids on the school bus, I took a prayer walk. Occasionally, I spent as little as five or as much as forty-five minutes sitting quietly in God’s presence with no agenda other than to enjoy Him and listen for His voice.
Integrating silence into our lives is free. We can turn off the television. Silence our phone’s notifications. Fast from social media. We can sit in silence for a few minutes before bedtime, thanking God for His presence throughout the day and inviting Him to work in our minds and heal our bodies even as we sleep.
Silence is golden. We can’t buy it. We can’t contrive it. We can’t fake it, but we all need it. Thankfully, we can learn to integrate it into our lives and thus enjoy its beauty and benefits.
How about you?
What does incorporating silence into your life look like in this season?
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you for the timely reminder right before the craziness of the holidays. I wish all of my retail customers could read this and benefit from it. So important-silence IS golden. “Be still, and know that I am God.”
Hi Diana:
Yes, silence is golden. In the rush of daily life, we often forget the its value. Is it any wonder people are exhausted? There’s truly something to be said about stepping back and turning off the noise even for a few minutes each day.
Know you are loved,
Grace
I enjoy silence while my husband wants noise. So I grab it when I can.
Prayers for you and sailor man…
My husband likes to watch TV for hours and hours. I don’t. It has been a huge help that he now has earphones (I think that’s the right word). He plugs it into the TV set so that only HE hears the audio from the TV through his ear phones (headset). The audio is no longer blasting through the house.
Hey, Nancy!
Thanks for this creative way to solve a problem. Have a great day!
Grace
Hi Mary:
Sailor-Man and I have had to figure this out while living on a sailboat. I love to start my morning in silence with the Lord and my Bible. The only way I can do so is to rise very early before he wakes up. During Covid, we both worked from the boat. His job entails lots of phone calls and Zoom meetings, and I need silence to focus when I write. He would duck into the front berth and shut the door behind him to give me quiet, but nothing is sound-proof there. It was difficult, but we somehow managed (thanks to the grace of God!).
Know you are loved,
Grace
Thank you for this beautiful message. It’s very therapeutic and thought provoking. I’m certain I will keep this handy to remind myself that it’s okay to find solitude and peace in my daily routines. May you be blessed throughout this Thanksgiving season !
Hi JoAnna:
Thanks for stopping by and leaving your comment. It certainly IS okay to find solitude and peace in your daily routines. Maybe we can take it a step further and say it’s not only okay, but it’s necessary.
May you find space for silence in this busy season, my friend.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Whenever I am doing housework or pricing my baseball cards or other things ; and I feel that I am slowing down or running out energy I am reminded that God gives strength to the weary whoever lacks in might He increases with power,but for that to happen I must rest in celebration of what God and I have done together today for about five or ten minutes sometimes longer,when that time is up you have waited for the Lord to give new strength ;you are ready to finish your day and celebrate it better at the end with a longer period of intentional kindness with God and yourself.
Hi there! Thanks so much for stopping by and sharing your insights. I love what you said about resting in celebration of what you and God have done together that day. That’s a beautiful way to reframe the thought of stepping back from noise and bustle for a few minutes. Very insightful.
Know you are loved,
Grace
This post is so timely given the concerns and stressors of trying to accommodate my family’s work schedules (and their significant other’s too) for a family gathering at Christmas. Praying for a quick recovery for Sailor-man and ample rest for both of you!
Hi Catherine!
Christmas can be difficult with so many factors to juggle. I hope this post encourages you to take a deep breath and exhale those stressors. May peace fill your heart and your home as you make your plans and bring them to life, my friend.
Thanks for your prayers. This time away to rest has been good for Sailor-Man’s recovery from a hernia surgery. I’ve had to deal with the suitcases as he’s not allowed to lift anything more than ten pounds for six weeks, but that’s fine. We’re both feeling re-energized already after our busy fall season of travel, etc.
Know you are loved,
Grace
Excellent, excellent interview on 100 Huntley Street, Grace! Well spoken. Thank you for sharing. 💗
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Catherine. Cheryl Weber is a good interviewer. Funny thing — we sat side by side in the make-up chairs prior to the interview and had a nice visit while the professionals applied our make-up.
This was just what I needed to read and think about today, Grace. What a clear and helpful message to read at this busy time. For a whole bunch of reasons, it is so hard for me to slow down. Thank you for the encouragement and the verses to focus on.
Hi Susie:
For so many reasons, we can fall into the belief that everything depends on us. We develop a rush-rush lifestyle, make it our norm, and then wonder why we feel tired or dry. May the Lord help us remember that we’re created first to abide in Him. He’s our strength and peace. He’s the one who restores our souls. Silence is golden, especially when we spend it in His presence.
Know you are loved, and may you make space for a few minutes of silence in this busy season.
Grace
Beautiful word. Lord help us all to be still and know that you are God, especially this holiday season with so much going on ..help us to rest in you not to worry or fret, but be at peace, knowing you are for us and not against us. Amen!
Amen, Gina! Thank you for your prayer. May we all experience this in our lives during this busy season.
Know you are loved,
Grace