Quiet Places
Recently a friend shared the following quote by Dale Carnegie: “Let us not get so busy or live so fast that we can’t listen to the music of the meadow or the symphony that glorifies the forest. Some things in the world are far more important than wealth: one of them is the ability to enjoy simple things.” I had not seen these words before but I certainly believe there is wisdom to be found in them. A lot of us do, in fact, stay so busy and live our lives so fast that we miss “the music of the meadow” or fail to appreciate and enjoy “simple things.”
I was reminded of the richness to be found in the sounds of nature on a recent trip with Rob to northern Minnesota. One of the highlights of the trip for me was getting to hear the loons call out. I knew what their calls sounded like but had never experienced that in person. What a treat it was to hear their song! But we would never have heard the loons had we not found quiet places to experience them. The truth is the noise of commerce often drowns out the beautiful life=giving sounds of nature. I realize this is just the way things are, a necessity of life, but if we want to hear the music of the meadow or the symphony that glorifies the forest then we must find quiet places in nature.
I believe the same thing can be said about listening to God. I am convinced that God does still speak to us but we often fail to hear what God is saying because of all of the noise in our lives. Once again, much of that noise is necessary and important. But if we want to hear the still small voice of God we must find quiet places for our soul. God, speaking through the Psalmist, said “Be still and know that I am God.” (46:10) Here is the problem for a lot of us. We don’t hear God speak because we don’t take the time to be still or find the quiet places necessary to know God’s presence and hear God’s voice.
I definitely need to discipline myself to find those quiet places more often—both in nature and in the spiritual realm. Carnegie was right, some things in the world are far more important than wealth. I believe experiencing God and the glory of God’s Creation are two such things.
–Chuck