The Quietness of the Moment

We have a wall clock that my mother gave us in the early 1970s. It is unassuming and has no great value. It’s simply a wall clock that tick-tocks and chimes every half hour on the hour. It has never failed to keep time, but unlike we humans—who tend to slow down as the calendar flips from month to month—the clock picks up speed and by the end of the month, when it needs to be rewound, it has gained ten minutes!

For some, a chiming clock may be on the edge of annoying, but having grown up with one, I find the sound rather comforting, homey, if you will. Having said that, though, I have to admit that I seldom hear it throughout the day. Oh, on occasion, when my music is off or I’m not focussed in front of my computer screen, I may hear the single half hour chime or the hourly gong telling me what hour of the day it is. But mostly it goes unnoticed…unless it’s three in the morning when all is quiet! And even then, my frustration is at my inability to sleep, not at the chiming clock breaking the quietness of the hour!

Hmmm…the quietness of the hour…have you ever thought about the need for quietness in our lives? As I write this blog, seeking some quiet to help me focus and gather my thoughts, I’ve been hearing noises, often referred to as white noise. The humming of the fridge. The ambulance siren as it races to the hospital down the street. The clip-clopping of a horse as an Amish buggy goes by our apartment building. And of course—would you believe!—an unwanted phone call that just came with a number as long as the alphabet! It would seem that the world in which we live is constantly bombarded with noises over which we have no control, and the need, even the ability to be quiet, escapes us.

I’ve read recently that our bodies need quiet. Constant noise not only wears us down mentally, it wears us down physically. We need to be refreshed. We need to take—perhaps find—opportunities for silence in our daily days, allowing time for mental and physical healing and relaxation. And with the global health concerns and the mega changes in our lives, the need for aloneness and moments of quiet is needed now more than ever before. If you add the fact that Christmas is upon us, there is no doubt that our bodies will battle the stress we create. We rush about trying to avoid crowds and traffic but fail miserably as we get caught up in the hustle and bustle of the season. The bottom line is that we need to give ourselves permission to seek out a few moments of quiet in the middle of a busy day.

Easy to say. Not so easy to do.

A moment ago I mentioned that constant noise wears us down mentally as well as physically, a fact witnessed each day that we live. But what about our spiritual well-being? Is it possible that not only the white noise that surrounds us daily, but external obstacles, distractions, and choices we make wear us down spiritually and prevent our much-needed quiet time with God? The phone call we just have to answer or make, the work expectations we put on ourselves, the household chores that never seem to end, and even our own restlessness and compulsions can prevent us from having aloneness with God.

Unfortunately, having a quiet time, and even a quiet place where we can retreat from the world does not mean we will always experience the quietness and communion with God for which we long. As frail human beings, we come to our quiet moment—be it in the early hours of the morning, in the midst of a busy day, or in the stillness of the evening—bringing our relational or personal challenges that weigh heavily upon us, in desperate need of quick answers. When there are no immediate solutions, we may stumble and question our worth, fight feelings of inadequacy, and our quietness may be replaced with fears instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to minister to us in the quietness of the moment.

The solutions to our daily struggles may not come instantly; but time alone with God is never lost on our daily lives, it is never wasted. In fact, I believe it is fuel that keeps us living in a world that has turned upside down. It provides an unexplainable peace that saturates our very beings.

Our wall clock will continue to tick as long as I remember to wind it regularly. Likewise, my aloneness with God will require constant attention or my source of ‘fuel’ will run out and I will struggle with my daily day.

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication,
with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God;
and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding,
will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.”
Philippians 4:6-7