Silence is Golden

We’ve used the adage for years to take special note of the Golden Moments of Silence. You know the feeling. That delicious moment when you realize there is no noise! No jangling phones. No other voices. Nothing electronic or mechanical in the background.

Quiet reigns supreme.

There is frustration on my part when a restaurant loads up the experience of a dining room with loud music. So loud that you cannot hear the person sitting across the table from you! In fact, I wish that Cone of Silence from Maxwell Smart days could rest over the table!

I’ve shared often that I can drive for hours and never think of turning on the radio or playing music. It’s my supreme way of enjoying moments of quiet. Road noise and other drivers are the only interference. The loudest noise may be the internal conversations I have with the problems of life that seem to crop up every moment. As with Jeff Dunham, I spend time arguing both sides of an equation, searching for better answers, talking only to myself.

On the other hand, I surround myself with images and articles of silence. Things that can bring calm to my world. My collections, books, photos, mementos and other sources that bring comforting silence. This can make for a cluttered experience because I do not require structure or order just to find moments of solitude.

Sitting on the porch, observing the quiet domain we call home, the only sound my ears pick up are those pleasant sounds of nature. Birds. Barnyard animals in the distance. Bees. No road or machinery noise. Just the natural world of Silence.

To everything, there is a downside. I’ve noted it, especially around my porches this week. The day will come when the birds themselves go silent. Their babies will have left the nest, and the entire family moved away. All 5 birdhouses will be empty, and not even a going away present. Today, I’m enjoying the time as the sun starts warming the eastern sky, and their raucous noise penetrates my living space. But it is a pleasant noise. You knew what was happening. They were hungry and gobbling every tidbit possible. Building their strength for the first day of air time!

There is power in finding and knowing places of quiet and solitude, and having the voice to speak peace and quiet to the storms and clatter of life.

Where did the Golden Silence phrase come from?

The entire proverb is, “Speech is Silver, Silence is Golden.” Quickly I compare the value of Silver and Gold. Since Gold is quite a bit more spendy, I surmise that the value of Silence is more appropriately valued.

If silence is more valuable than speech, especially when you have nothing to say, the key may be to use the silence and “thimk” it through before you speak! Go ahead…click on Thimk and see where my thought comes from!

“When E.F. Hutton speaks, everyone listens.”
Am I speaking to the older folks only?
Remember the advertisement from the ’70s and ’80s?
In the midst of all the noise of life, one person shares that his financial advisor is E.F. Hutton, then everyone stops chattering to hear what important words will be spoken next.

We should train ourselves to listen for important noise, and filter out all the chatter around us. And then, learn to speak only when we have something of greater value than Gold to say.

Here’s my thought today. How well do you use silence, or speech, when the times demand it? Do you speak out of turn, or keep silent when speech is demanded? Can you determine which one to use? How do you choose?

It was in the midst of an especially violent storm-tossed ship, the disciples were fearful of disaster. They were used to these squalls popping up at the most inopportune times. Remember. Several of them were fishermen and were used to being on the water. But in the midst of this storm, Jesus was asleep on a pillow in the back part of the ship. Think about it. If Jesus was not worried about the storm, then why are you?!!?

“Teacher! Don’t you care that we are perishing?”
To which Jesus rebuked the wind, and spoke to the sea, “Peace, be still.”
Only then was there a great calm on the sea.
(Mark 4:38-39 ESV)

I find it interesting to note that there are no words recorded of how he rebuked the wind, and with only three words he calmed the sea. Seas rise to their white-capped status when the wind whips across the surface. After the wind ceases, the waves take a while to calm down.

Jesus had the power to stop the disruptive force of the wind, yet he spoke to the unruly seas to speed their calm.

Sometimes, we need not only the calming influence on the sea of life, but we also need an important rebuke that will stop the wind from creating turmoil. Use your Silver Speech to rebuke the problems, and speak calm to the unruly seas.

You have the ability to enjoy the Golden Silence! Come on! Enjoy the tranquility!