Years ago I was speaking with a friend who had a troubled conscience. She did not tell me she had a troubled conscience, but after spending time with her, it became apparent she had much anxiety of soul. She was bitter, angry, often frustrated, unforgiving, and never wrong.
I knew the relationship was only as strong as our last conversation. And as long as I did not press into her in any meaningful way that remotely suggested there was something wrong with her, we were okay. I did have the opportunity to ask her, in one of the “stronger” times of our relationship, whether she ever drove home with the radio off. I assumed the answer to the question, but was hoping this would open the door to a deeper conversation.
She quickly and adamantly said that she could never do that. She said she could not tolerate the silence. From her perspective, the silence of the car ride home from work would be a painful experience. Her method for drowning out her conscience was by replacing the noise in her soul with a distraction from the world.
Here is an interesting question for you: Can you be quiet? Do you feel the need to replace the unrest of your soul with noise or busyness? Sometimes, some people willfully choose to drown out the quietness of life with noise. They cannot be quiet. The quietness of life usually reveals a noisy conscience, which proves to be deafening to the soul that is not at rest.
Create a parenthesis of quietness in your life
I think it was Chuck Swindoll who said we need to create a “parenthesis of quietness in our lives.” We need a place where we can get away from the noise, settle into a brief season of quietness, even if it is only five minutes in a parking lot, before entering your most-oft-frequented store.
Another excellent solution for noise reduction is found in the context of community. How wonderful it has been for us to create a “parenthesis of quietness” in our lives through the context of our small group. We just finished one of our “parenthetical meetings” a few days ago. We gathered with our small group, where the disruptions of life were profoundly quieted, while laughing often about the quirkiness of our lives. We also talked deeply about the things that really mattered. It was gloriously intrusive and wonderfully beneficial for all of us.
Have you ever considered that a solution for the noise in your life could be found in the context of a community of like-minded believers? Folks who are pursuing a rest with God while living in a disruptive world? This is not just any kind of community. It is an intentional, purposeful community that permits others to draw out the noise of your soul, while bringing care to you in order to help you live in that place of quietness.
If you are part of a small group, then I exhort you to make this a topic of conversation in your group. Challenge your group to come alongside you to pursue you for the glory of God. Remember: no one will love you the way you need to be loved. Therefore, it is on you to graciously and courageously let them know that you need them to speak into your life.
This article is part of my sermon notes at Southside Fellowship. You can listen to the sermon here: 05.30.10 sermon at Southside Fellowship.
You may also download David Powlison’s Peace, Be Still: Learning Psalm 131 by Heart
For further reading, please read these posts:
- Don’t Assume Others Will Love You the Way You Need to Be Loved
- What Kind of Church Do You Belong To?
- Fellowship: The Missing Link in Most Churches
- Budget Some Sin Into Your Life
- Exposed by the Cross
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