Solitude

Protestant Christians give much attention to gathering, the practice of coming together for corporate worship, coming together to receive strength & encouragement to go out again. That coming together includes music and audible Bible reading and prayer.  Contrast that with some Catholic orders which elevate silence to a necessity of worship; they take a vow of silence & solitude in order to be closer to God.  Others not of that faith have found that example useful enough to practice from time to time.  In some other religions, people choose to come apart from the world for a time in order to seek God such as in an Ashram in India, where silence is a requirement for seeking to know God.  While I agree with the need for getting together for worship, I am also a seeker of the elusive silence.  Even when alone, the television too often blares, neighbors' lawn mowers disrupt the quiet, or the washing machine does its rumbling.  Even if all that was gone, I would probably be doing something to distract myself from the silence.  This has to change.  I know that I have a need to stop, look,  and listen to the silence, the silence and stillness that is necessary to evaluate my own needs, and begin again seeking to know God's heart.

Life = Change

I felt a need to change the title of my blog, and here is why.  I "googled".  When I did, I found a few books & videos with the same name, Whispers in the Wind. More importantly, I found another blog with that name, and upon reading it, found that blogger's reasoning for the name so similar to mine that it could have been copied.  That blog came first, however, and I didn't copy it.  I only failed to search out prior usage of that name when it popped into my head as the "perfect" title.  So, please forgive my confusion, and take time to follow me when you have the time and need.

Besides the big sky, I'm also surrounded by other hills than the one I am on.  It is a constant reminder to me of this, "I lift up my eyes to the hills--where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth".  From Psalm 121, the words have come to my mind many times when all I could think to say was "Help!"  I'm happy to be able to say, the help is available.  All I have to do is admit a need, and ask.

Ups & Downs

Friends, relatives, and I, also, have sometimes lamented that life is so complicated, that we are disappointed when, just when things seem to be “going our way”, life makes us change.  We act like life owes us a smooth road, an uncluttered path, and even a push in the right direction. 

From my hilltop home, I can see a town in the distance.  As the old saying goes, “as the crow flies” it’s not far.  Taking the road to get there, however, is not a direct path.  We have choices.  My husband and I were just discussing, on our last trip into town together, which roads made the shortest route.  One choice seems to be nearly all downhill; coasting without using gasoline or any effort by the driver or the car appears to be the best choice.  We decided to test it, taking that way in, and another way back home again.  I have said that I like the coasting way much better, the other way is a narrow road with a continual succession of hills and valleys.  It happens to be that road, with all the ups and downs, is the shortest route.

I think life is much like that.  It’s so much easier to coast than to labor with the ups and downs of life.  When we are up, we can see our future so easily, but then we decide to coast, and we end up down the hill.  Coasting may have some value in travel, but in our lives, it can be quite dangerous.  There is another alternative, that of asking God for a straight path.  It appears from reading in Proverbs 3:5-6 that we can do that, but it comes with a condition.  First “…lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him.”   Then-- He will make your paths straight.

Today, I want to say, “Stop when you feel like stopping”, but I’m not going to pretend that those are wise words, or wise actions.  Many people, my husband among them, believe strongly in the value of lists and schedules.  Personally, I find them depressing, since I nearly always have more on my list than I can accomplish.  There is one advantage to them, however.  If I make a list of important things to be done, and create variety in that list, then my choices are more manageable.  If I have a lot of energy, I can do some physical activity; if I’m physically exhausted, there needs to be something on my list that can be done sitting down.  (For about a week now, there have been a pair of my husband’s jeans sitting near my favorite chair; I shortened one leg, but the other one still needs to be done.  I’m sure that task will call to me soon.)I’ve been gardening today, and enjoy all the variety I see in nature; I only had to stop for a root beer(I’m not admitting to a root beer float), and to write this.  So these are my words of wisdom for today: plan variety into your life and follow that plan.

I took time out to watch a sailboat today; the wind wasn't strong, just strong enough to gently move the boat.  Sometimes, that's what we need, a gentle breeze to move us, not quickly, but just enough to make a little bit of progress.  Strong winds and great movement can come another day.  For today, I've needed just the gentle breeze.

Patience, where are you?  This week has been difficult, and I can't really find a reason for it.  It's one of those typical "so much to do, so little time" situations.  This week,  it made me upset, irritated, and depressed.  I want everything done--NOW.  Well, it's a good thing that I read and memorized some portions of the Bible when I was younger.  There's a phrase that is nagging at me in some portion of my brain, something about fruit, strange as that may seem.  I think I need to stop, think, and find it.   That Bible on the coffee table should not be gathering dust; there's wisdom in it.  I found the right place!  ". . . the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience. . . "  It's in the book of Galatians, chapter 5, verse 22.  The Spirit is whispering, and I know that Spirit is God.  I found a place to find patience.

Wisdom in Whispers

I'm not claiming to have any great wisdom.  In fact, I find life quite confusing.  I only know, from my own experience, that there is wisdom available for the asking.  The problem comes in not asking. Whether you ask advice from someone more mature and knowledgeable than yourself, or ask the One of ultimate wisdom, God, you will know more than you did before you asked.  So many people act as if they were more knowledgeable than anyone they meet.  As for me, I can be quite humble in appearance to others, but stubborn and haughty before God.  Intellectually, I know that God's way is better than mine, but giving in to Him is so very difficult.  Trying my own way first, even with repeated mistakes, is the way I operate.  Humility before my Creator comes in whispered reminders from Him, and I am too involved in my noisy activity to hear Him.  He does not give up, however, and He does accomplish His task, in order to accomplish His purpose in me.  That purpose is developing slowly, and I know that I must be quiet before my God, quiet enough to hear His whisper.