The Importance of Stillness

"We need to find God, and God cannot be found in noise and restlessness. God is the friend of silence." ~Mother Teresa

​One day, I made my way to a favorite restaurant for a meal and a cup of coffee. Usually, I’d plan ahead and ask a friend to join me. This time, however, the impromptu nature of the decision left me unaccompanied.

As the waitress led the way to a booth, I chuckled, thinking of how uncomfortable my high school or even early college self would have felt sitting on her own. With age and maturity, that way of thinking has changed, but I’ll never forget the impact that mindset had on me at the time.

Many of us possess a strong urge to appear productive and busy. If we have even a moment of silence, many of us feel an immediate impulse to pull out our phones and fill the space. This has conditioned us to experience discomfort with stillness. Yet, this stands in contrast to the call of Psalm 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” 

The word “and” sticks out to me the most. “And” is a conjunction that, according to Merriam-Webster, is used “as a function word to indicate connection or addition” or “as a function word to express logical modification, consequence, antithesis, or supplementary explanation.” Perhaps “and” connects the ideas of being still and knowing God. It may also serve as a function word to express the subsequent consequence of pursuing stillness. In other words, it might imply that experiencing stillness is an important key to entering into relationship with God.

I’ve learned it’s challenging to find God in the ordinary when oversaturated by noise (and the Lord knows our society is filled with it). From work and school to relationships, social obligations, screens, and social media, many corners of life clamor for our precious time and attention. At times, the cultural noise feels deafening.

Now, we can certainly encounter God in the rhythms of daily life; they serve as meaningful spaces to worship and glorify Him. Not everything is a distraction. And yet, I wonder if there exists a deeper invitation in stillness. Perhaps God longs to reveal truths in the whispers of quiet, truths we cannot hear in the clamor. 

I’ve come to realize that silence opens the door for novel ideas to enter our minds. For example, if I listen to a podcast while walking, I’m flooding my headspace with content created by another person. While a valuable practice, as it serves as an avenue to learn new information, excessive consumption of content in the absence of stillness removes the opportunity for original thought. In other words, if we fill our minds only with what others think, do we forfeit the chance to discover what we truly think? I often challenge myself to take walks with nothing in my ears but the chorus of creation, and the reflections that emerge have surprised me. Much of my writing content flows out of quiet contemplation. When I forgo this practice, the creative well often runs dry.

When we have moments to pause and observe our surroundings, God meets us there with something new. We need not feel uncomfortable or alone. In silence, we encounter the Spirit of the Living God, Who breathes life into our lives and makes all things new.

I encourage you to find your way of quieting the cultural noise and take notice of how you feel afterward. Go for a walk. Look up at the trees and observe how the sunshine peeks through the branches. Sit by yourself at the lake and listen to the waves meet the shore. Watch as an intricate snowflake finds its home on the icy forest floor. Pay attention to a squirrel scuttering busily up a tree. Feel blades of grass tickle the spaces between your toes. When you experience true stillness, maybe you will come to know God more deeply.

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Photocred: Unsplash