“For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon his shoulder, and his name shall be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.”  Isaiah 9:6

About once a month, I get out of my seat on the school bus and turn and face the children who are talking loudly. I grab their attention and ask them “listen, do you hear that?” One by one they begin to become silent and start to listen for the noise, which I have instructed them to find. When all, and I mean all of them are quiet, I respond, “There it is…listen…it’s silence. Let’s listen to it for the rest of the trip.” It lasted for seconds…but it was worth the moment to appreciate turning off all of the noise.

The Christmas season is anything but silent. It is no wonder why one of our most beloved Christmas hymns is Silent Night. Hurriedness, anxiousness, and irritability don the atmosphere around the countenance of many. I offer to you this poem,

Tis the Season of Noise

Dashing through the snow
The jingling of bells
Another round of bullets
Look out, someone yells
 
Disgruntled employees
Overworked and underpaid
One calls out sick
No work, gov’t paid
 
Honking of horns
Hurrying from place to place
Squeeze in one more party
Hiding your anxious face
 
News on TV, radio and phone
Facebook, twitter, Instagram
No way to unplug them
Its the Information spam
 
A voice in the wilderness
Cries out to Come and see
Prince of peace has arrived
True rest is found with He
 
Hunger to know more
Got us into trouble
Searching just a little more
Hoping for a perfect bubble
 
Too much noise is happening
Too many things to navigate
Too much clamoring for my attention
Help Me Jesus, to be still and wait.

Some actions you may want to take to begin to catch your breath and be still and know the Lord

  • Start by listening to your breathing. Take a slow, long, deep breath. Listen to your breathing as air fills and empties your lungs. You purposely managed one quiet moment of your life. 
  • Turn off all media. How long before you feel like you have to turn something back on?
  • Turn the radio off in the car.  This includes podcasts, audio books and spotify. Ask God to highlight people and needs as you drive. What would Jesus notice?
  • Find a park and see how many different animals and insects you can hear. They’ve been singing their melodies for quite some time. Do they seem to get louder as you listen? 
  • Practice listening to the Holy Spirit. What is He saying about your activities, others around you, and about Jesus? You have ears to hear, take time to train them.

Elijah heard God in the quiet whisper from the entrance to a cave. In that encounter, God gave instructions for the rest of his life. Can you identify God’s distinct quiet voice for your own life? Where do you physically position yourself in order to hear God speak to you? God remains with you in the hurried moments, but can be heard easier in the quiet.

Noise places a blanket around anxiousness to suffocate hope and clarity. Jesus withdrew in the busier times to draw strength from the quiet alone time with His Father. Find time, make time to withdraw from the hurriedness of life.

May the Prince of Peace, Jesus, reveal His heart to you. May you experience the privilege of waiting in the silence for Him amid all of the noise in your life. May His hope and peace lead, guide, direct and comfort you this Christmas season. May He bring calm to your “noise”.

Blessings Love y’all