Word Scramble

By Rosemary Flaaten –

What word can you make from these letters – N T S I L E ?

If you figured out the word “silent”, you’re right. If you unscrambled the word “listen”, you are also right. Isn’t it interesting that the same letters spell both “silent” and “listen”?

What do these two words have in common?

In order to truly listen, one must be silent. Silence is a required element of listening. Unfortunately listening is not a guaranteed outcome of silence. You can have silence and still not listen.

Recently my daughter and I were painting her bedroom. In the emptiness of the room, the only sounds were the paint brushes against the walls and the creaking of the ladder. Silence prevailed. But as my daughter embarked on a story that had little interest to me, I quickly tuned her out and allowed my own thoughts to crowd out her tale. Despite the silence, I was not attentive to her.

Conversely, I’m also discovering how often I keep the noise level high enough in my soul so that I am unable to distinguish my heart’s longings and thus am dulled to the Holy Spirit’s movement in my inner being. Busyness and inner turmoil snuff out the quietness that is required for soul care.

Silence is making no noise, being quiet and refraining from speech. Listening is giving attention and paying heed. The inner work that occurs in silence prepares us to be competent listeners, whether it is to our child, friend or the Holy Spirit.

In a world where noise bombards us from every angle, let’s cultivate havens of silence where are hearts can be transformed and our ears will be attuned to hear both God ‘s quiet movement in our lives and the tales of others that deserve our undistracted attention.

PRAYER: Lord, help me to cultivate quietness such that my listening ability is sharpened.

“Listen and hear my voice; pay attention and hear what I say” (Isaiah 28:23 NIV)