Someone else messing with my head today…
One reason we can hardly bear to remain silent is that it makes us feel so helpless. We are so accustomed to relying upon words to manage and control others. If we are silent, who will take control? God will take control, but we will never let him take control until we trust him. Silence is intimately related to trust.
The tongue is our most powerful weapon of manipulation. A frantic stream of words flows from us because we are in a constant process of adjusting our public image. We fear so deeply what we think other people see in us that we talk in order to straighten out their understanding. If I have done something wrong (or even some right thing that I think you may misunderstand) and discover that you know about it, I will be very tempted to help you understand my action! Silence is one of the deepest disciplines of the Spirit simply because it puts the stopper on all self-justification.
One of the fruits of silence is the freedom to let God be our justifier. We don't need to straighten others out.
- Richard J. Foster, Celebration of Discipline (via Seeking the Kingdom)
Like this:
Be the first to like this post.
About thad
I'm Thad. I'm just a dude. With a beard. And a family. And a house. And the ability to write in complete sentences when I so choose. For reference, see the first two sentences in this paragraph. And the last one that references the first two.
I also pastor (with some other guys) the weirdest group of normal people on the planet, and when we all get together we let people call us community church. I wouldn't trade them for your weird normal people for all the tea in China. I might consider an offer involving homemade banana pudding, but only on the hard days.
Leave a Comment
Comments (0)