Monday, January 2, 2012

Dear God,

Is there anything more beautiful than silence?  Not the absence of sound but rather the vast still space where you dwell, where the air is sweet and grace lives to give.  Space where tranquility and harmony live together, always ready to infuse those who gather there.  The home of your sacred presence, the voice of eternity, living faith, eternal hope, and wondrous love.  Silence, the gift of heaven.

And to think for so long I feared silence.  I was afraid of what it had to tell me.  I imagined scary things living there, like maybe too much truth.  I filled my space with sound, words, music, busyness, attitudes, and beliefs that I thought would safeguard me from one day finding myself there.  But with all my best efforts, I still stumbled into silence on a mountain far away in a remote area waiting to meet me.

I do believe that was one of the best days of my life.  That which I had run from actually greeted me gently and lovingly.  It embraced me with hope and enveloped me with peace.  It invited me in, served me, and  gave me gifts I could never have considered receiving.  Silence opened me to a colossal, awe-inspiring environment where at any time I could wander. 

One of the great lessons I learned through silence is that often I wanted something less than what I needed, what you wanted to give me.  I would reach out for substitutes rather than the real thing.  Now, I know you wait for me to come where a time together will offer me what you deem good for me.  Instead of changing those things that trouble me, you fill me with yourself.  And then amazingly, you give me a vision, a glorious vision really, that shows me the way, the direction of my next steps.

What can
I say
to you,
Living God;
what words
can I use
to describe
my humble gratitude?
You have
seen fit
to bless me
again and again
with your revelation.
You have
inspired me
to journey
more and more
toward you.
Like as
of old,
you have
anointed me
with the
oil of gladness;
my cup overflows.

Forever yours, Andrea