The Noise

So I know I don't usually do this, but I read an article the other day that really resonated with me right now. I am a subscriber to a magazine called Relevant and it's sister magazine Radiant. That being said, I also get short articles emailed to me as well... The one from last week was particularly interesting and I wanted to share a small portion of it with you. It's authored by Joy Williams and you can find out more about Raiant here.(and if you are interested in the whole article let me know and I can forward it to you or something)

ADD and Groceries

I am a noise-addicted woman in a culturally distracted world. Don’t believe me?

I went to the grocery store just a few days ago. While I was busy thinking about dinner, I found myself humming along to the top 40 hits blaring overhead. I was reaching for glamorous articles (like toilet paper and lettuce) when I thought about changing the ringer on my phone … it was time. I went out to my car after purchasing my groceries, and my car stereo was tuned to the classical station. While I drove, my mind meandered, and so did my hands on the radio dial. I went from Vivaldi to Kelly Clarkson, from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs to the Doors. Before I knew it, I had pulled into my driveway without absorbing one single song all the way through.

With groceries unloaded, I went into the spare room to check out MySpace. Different profiles had carefully chosen songs, colors and banners to burst onto the scene with each visit. I stayed at this online dance club for a half hour and read several blogs of every emotion and opinion imaginable. All the while, in the background was the low hum of the TV I’d inadvertently turned on in the other room.

Somewhere in the back of my mind, I took stock of these “natural” habits I’d formed in my day. The only word that came to the forefront of my thoughts was oversaturated.

Have you ever felt this way? Has the noise in your life risen to a louder decibel? I am beginning to wonder if we are quietly suffocating ourselves with the noise by which we so quickly surround ourselves."

Yeah... I totally can relate to most, if not all of the above. I feel like I'm always just going going going... and if not physically, mentally going, going, going. And if I'm not, well, then I feel like I might go crazy just "sitting around." I always seem to have the radio on at work or am jamming to my itunes... in the car I fill the "quiet" void with talk radio or the latest CD. And then.. I wonder, why isn't God speaking to me these days?!? Why can't I hear His voice?? Maybe He IS speaking... yelling even, but I can't hear him over the hum? And am I afraid that He WILL speak?

Am I afraid of the quiet?? It is in those quiet moments in our life when we can truly focus on what is going on. Reflect on our lives and where we are. Do I want to see what I've become and am becoming? It's kind of a frightening thought sometimes, but it's something we all need to do at times or risk never reaching our full potential because we don't know who we are. And more important that introspective reflection, we might even be able to hear that "still, small voice" again. The one that we thought went away... and realize, it was always right there-- we just chose to drowned it out.

So today-- will you chose to say NO to the noise? Even if it's just in the small things, like reaching down and turning off the radio for a few minutes as you drive to work? Or taking time out to go for a walk outside (by the way, in most places in the country the fall leaves are awesome right now!) You'd be amazed, even though it might seem really awkward at first, how this quiet refreshes your soul.

God's waiting to talk to you.... are you willing to listen??