Silence can be loud.
My facial expression usually tends to be a dead give-away. In my smile you may notice a hint of sadness, and in my cries a hint of joy. I could be typing away on a keyboard or twirling my phone round and round in circles in my regular manner, but you could still stop me and ask, "what is the matter?" It is easy to notice the irregular in my regular.
Nevertheless, it is not the same for every one. It could be really difficult to tell whether some are in a happy or sad mood. But guess what? I've observed that even in the hardest, most rigid, and most non-opinionated faces, silence still speaks louder than we think. Our silence could be loud because we are not merely physical, but spiritual beings. So even if you decide not to say it out aloud, even if you decide to choke the tears and swallow the words, your silence still speaks. Your spirit subconsciously wills your silence into actions. You begin to do different things without even knowing why you're doing them. You begin to dance to the tunes of your silence. For example, the angry woman you met at the grocery store may just have been angry because she comes from a broken home, and at that moment, as she put your vegetables into the grocery bag, she remembered what her papa did to her mother.
Could this be what Jesus meant when he said in Mark 4:22, "For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light." Sure, He may have meant that those secrets that fall on the ears of our friends will be revealed (lol). But more than that, I think it had to do with the secrets inside our hearts. God sees them. And they translate into our actions ("revealed").
Secret things are not really secret. So the next time someone reacts in an abnormal harsh or unusual way to you, try to reflect on where it's coming from. In fact, the next time I act a certain way I must judge my own secrets because it means something is about to be revealed in me.
If God can see everything, it means that secret things are not really secret, and that there is sometimes loudness in our silence.
Have you ever noticed the loudness in silence? Where or when?
Photo by Redbubble
16 comments:
It does help sometimes not to judge people...hard as it might be sometimes.
I remember a real grouchy bank teller sometime last year, usually, I'd be snotty in return but that day i just said "seems like ur having a bad day" and that changed her countenance. We're still pals today..lol
I can imagine the surprised look on her face when she heard you say that...good looking out! That was nice of u. :)
You're right, sometimes silence can speak louder than words. My expression and mannerism also gives me away too.
Sometimes silence could be so loud...so true.
We all have our inner silence seeking to be heard.
Thanks for sharing..
wow, what can i say ? you are on point n i do agree because the loudest cry for help is silence. i am a very quite person and joyful too but most people can't tell dat i am going through stuffs and i really do want to talk but am afraid to share because of fear of judgement but on the other hand God sees and knows all. Doesn't it just feel good to know we can't hide anything from Him no matter how we pretend to look perfect before other humans but right underneath our thick skin, all we need is a hug and reassurance that all will be well.
thanks for replying my mail, i was filled with so much smiles while reading it.
may His grace continue to b available to u.
love u loads
X
"You begin to dance to the tunes of your silence"
That's a good way of saying it. True. I'm smiling because I'm reflecting on my own dance:) It's a familiar tune. Somedays, I long for the permission to speak! Silence can be deafening.
Patrina <")>><
Silence def speaks...At times I can see when someone is plastering on a fake smile and holding back tears...at times u I can sense discomfort...The past few dayz my own silence has been scary...at times letting it out heals...
i can so identify with this post, except the part if someone behaves harshly towards me, i dont want to wonder whether their mama beat their papa, i just want to whack them upside the head
Hence the saying: "Silent waters run deep" It definitely took me a while to realize that my facial expressions betray what I try to hide or that my actions and tone of my voice show what I am feeling. Indeed the physical affects our mental and spiritual sides as well.
@ Myne...sounds like we're on the same boat :)
@ Blogoratti...and if the silence is loud enough it could be heard even without speaking. You're welcome. Thanks for stopping by.
@ Rainyjoy...the best person to share things with is someone who you're sure won't judge you. Many people are afraid to share things, especially in the church, and I agree with them...within the "walls of the church" is where you can possibly find the worst people...but then again, they are imperfect people waiting for God to perfect their walk, so I don't blame them. At the end of the day, even when you find that one close friend who you can confide in, ONLY GOD is worthy of all your trust. The bible even says, "cursed is the man who puts his trust in man." (About the email, you're welcome...any time...was excited when I saw it :))
@Patrina...lol...yes silence can be deafening. In fact, most times we need to shout!!!
@BBYW...I concur @ noticing when someone is plastering a fake smile and holding back tears. Hmmmm...sometimes I want to reach out too, but I'm not sure...God help us to be able to reach out when we really need to o.
@ Jinta...ha ha haaaaaaaaaaaaa. You're too funny. Abeg, consider them na.
@ Mwajim, that saying "silent waters run deep" is very deep. Forgive my tautology, lol. Thanks.
it is often said that more can be interpreted from our silence than from our words:
Maybe because sometimes our silence is enough in itself.
@ Debbie...thanks for that point. I think I can safely add that people find it more difficult to express what matters to them the most than to express the frivolous things of life, things that they don't need to think twice about.
Saying what matters can be draining emotionally too.
So true, I know I'm about long stories, but there was this young student I usually see in the Science Faculty on my way to lunch. There was always something I felt was wrong, but couldn't quite put a finger on it. Every time I saw him I was always overwhemled with pity or something, I just knew I felt sorry for him. And Every time I was drawn to him like a mother trying to give her a child a much needed hugg..
:)
Anyway fast forward two years later (I Know right), I just didnt want to be up in his business, and besides I just never had the opportunity to say hi.
So where was I, so last August, I had just returned from a long holiday, when I noticed him. This time i forced myself to go and say hi and sort of like was about to give him a hug when I noticed he started to cry. Not only was he going through a lot of DIFFICULT stuff, he happens also to be an orphan. And I just couldn't control myself, I had to beat back the tears.
Anyways I became his best friend, sister, aunty, mother, confidant, champion, publicist, you name it..just so that he didn't feel so lonley. He later gave his life to Christ. I got him an english bible and started to hound him to make sure he was reading it :).
He passed his masters with flying colours, has a great job now, and he's about to start a Ph.D program. And where he is at now is so exciting. Sometimes I just like to dance and thank God, cause he could have taken his own life, but FOR GOD, this precious life is here, and with God, he will fulfil his destiny.. Yipee.
Sometimes God takes us to places not just for us, but for others He also loves. Great post as always.
@ Life of a Stranger...are you kidding me? I'm just so amazed by that story. His silence had been speaking to you since 2 years before...I'm glad you felt compelled to reach out in the end, who knows what would have been going through his mind? The devil had prob been lying to him the whole time about his destiny. Geez.
@ Life of a stranger,
WOW! LOASCM, that was a really empowering story!! Thanks for sharing that. Thank God for His intuitive gifts in you. You knew his greatest need because the Holy Spirit became like a living lens for you. You not only saw his silence but you heard - and read correctly - his need. I am so grateful and praising the Lord with you that you were given this opportunity 2 years later to connect with him as the Holy Spirit with skin on. Wow!! This blows me away.
May we learn to listen to that still small voice inside - that calls us to be His hands and feet.
Patrina <")>><
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