and does not understanding raise her voice?
On the heights, beside the way,
at the crossroads she takes her stand;
beside the gates in front of the town,
at the entrance of the portals she cries out:
‘To you, O people, I call,
and my cry is to all that live.
O simple ones, learn prudence;
acquire intelligence, you who lack it.
Hear, for I will speak noble things,
and from my lips will come what is right;
for my mouth will utter truth;
wickedness is an abomination to my lips.
All the words of my mouth are righteous;
there is nothing twisted or crooked in them.
They are all straight to one who understands
and right to those who find knowledge.
Take my instruction instead of silver,
and knowledge rather than choice gold;
for wisdom is better than jewels,
and all that you may desire cannot compare with her...
The Lord created me at the beginning of his work,
the first of his acts of long ago.
Ages ago I was set up,
at the first, before the beginning of the earth.
When there were no depths I was brought forth,
when there were no springs abounding with water.
Before the mountains had been shaped,
before the hills, I was brought forth—
when he had not yet made earth and fields,
or the world’s first bits of soil.
When he established the heavens, I was there,
when he drew a circle on the face of the deep,
when he made firm the skies above,
when he established the fountains of the deep,
when he assigned to the sea its limit,
so that the waters might not transgress his command,
when he marked out the foundations of the earth,
then I was beside him, like a master worker;
and I was daily his delight,
rejoicing before him always,
rejoicing in his inhabited world
and delighting in the human race.
‘And now, my children, listen to me:
happy are those who keep my ways.
Hear instruction and be wise,
and do not neglect it.
Happy is the one who listens to me,
watching daily at my gates,
waiting beside my doors.
For whoever finds me finds life
and obtains favor from the Lord;
but those who miss me injure themselves;
all who hate me love death.’ - Proverbs 8: 1-11, 22-36
‘I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you. - John 16: 12-15
At one time in her life, Kathleen Norris worked as an artist with third graders. She felt the elementary discipline of creating art came from learning about noise and silence. Kathleen instructed her third graders to make all the noise they could while sitting at their desks but only when she raised her hand.
The other important part of her instructions was that when her hand lowered, the noise would have to stop. For Kathleen, making silence was not about quiet funny faces and squirmy bottoms in the seats but breathing quietly and sitting still. When silence became a presence in the room then creativity flourished among those kids in deep ways.
Kathleen noticed that silence actually liberated the children’s imaginations. We have so much to learn from child’s play as children often hold a key to wisdom through their imaginations. One boy in Kathleen’s class came up with an image of strength as being “as slow and silent as a tree.” Another little girl offered a “gem of spiritual wisdom” that Kathleen will never forget: “Silence reminds me to take my soul with me wherever I go.” Silence was quite a revelation to these children in a world of noise. [1]
The crossroads where noise and silence meet is a crossroads where wisdom for the journey of faith can indeed be found.
The writer of Proverbs says that Woman Wisdom takes her stand at the crossroads of life. She stands in the center of all the noise and distractions that life can muster. Woman Wisdom raises her hand and cries out to all people: “Hear, for I will speak noble things” (Proverbs 8:6).
Woman Wisdom has much to teach us. She is a gift of the Holy Spirit. While she is playful with her role in Creation she is also like a master worker. She builds up the people of God in God’s righteous ways. She invites us to partner with God in creating new life out of our brokenness. Woman Wisdom invites us to stand with her at the crossroads of life and consider the intersection of noise and silence in such a way that we might find a life that is full and abundant.
You and I are more than familiar with the noise of the daily grind. Many of us need a certain level of noise in the background to find the pulse of life. We love to combine tasks with the sound of music or television. Noise is not just auditory but it is visual too. Digital noise like social media keeps us connected and in touch with the world around us. It’s also a good distraction for those of us who need an excuse to procrastinate!
But there is also the noise in the forefront of life. This noise is distracting in ways that pulls the fibers of our being and weighs us down. The noise of busyness, hurt, and conflict stirs something within us. Our hearts become filled with emotions on all levels. The longer we allow ourselves to be distracted by the chaos buzzing around us, the less we are able to focus and discern a wise response to it.
In order for us to calm the chaos around us and within us we are invited to hear the way of wisdom. And we can only hear her presence if we make silence and listen. For when silence makes its presence in our lives then wisdom flourishes in the life of faith.
Creating a space for spiritual stillness allows us to reflect on the ways God is leading us to deal with the noise in life. Our Proverbs text illustrates the goal of life is to walk through all of life’s busy intersections, twists and turns with wisdom. True wisdom meets us where we are to teach us prudence, equity for others, and how to right wrongs. True wisdom guides us in restoring brokenness, extending grace and forgiveness, and being an agent of peace.
All of life is a classroom and every situation we encounter gives us an opportunity to learn from it. The more we follow the Spirit’s lead to practice spiritual stillness, the more freely and clearly we can respond to the noise in our life with wisdom and grace.
Dietrich Bonhoeffer says that “Silence is nothing else but waiting for God’s Word and coming from God’s Word with a blessing.”[2]
Whenever I am trying to discern how to respond in a situation I wait for God’s Word by praying Scripture. Sometimes I intentionally look for Scriptures that apply to specific situations. But many times God’s Word finds me in that daily devotion reading, whatever it may be that day.
On my best days when I write that Scripture down and keep it close through the day, I am amazed how God speaks through those words. Some glimpse of God’s truth is made known in a story someone shares. The grace of Christ slowly reveals a sense of direction when an answer to a question is sought out. The Spirit’s presence brings a sense of peace in whatever we are wrestling with that day.
It is no coincidence that Proverbs shares that wisdom is listening to God’s instruction as we bind God’s Word on our hearts and tie these words around our neck. When we walk they will always lead us. And when we lie down to think and rest God’s Word will watch over us (Proverbs 6: 21-22).
The way of wisdom leads us towards space for prayerful reflection. Creating this space allows our faith to be liberated by the faithfulness of God, the grace of Jesus Christ and the abiding presence of Holy Spirit. The way of wisdom is God’s revelation that we are empowered to choose a different way to relate and respond to the busyness, distractions, and the conflict at the crossroads of life. Spiritual stillness liberates our hearts and minds to imagine how faith might guide our decisions in life giving ways.
We ultimately have two choices. We can allow the noise in our lives to be an ongoing distraction. When we allow busyness, hurt, and conflict to be the louder presence then we will never find an authentic way to respond to it or even resolve it. Our human nature alone will always respond to challenging situations out of our brokenness and out of our own will. If we make decisions from a place of emotional distraction then we only hurt ourselves and others.
Or we can respond to challenging situations out of wisdom’s noble things. If we are intentional to hear Gods’ instruction to be wise and we do not neglect it then we will find ways to be Christ-like in our relationships with others. We will learn how to be care for others with mutual forbearance that builds up others. We will learn the art of discernment in such a way that faith informs our decisions which bears the weight of grace and God’s wisdom.
Wisdom is better than anything our hearts can desire. Wisdom makes a way forward through the distractions and drama of life. Wisdom allows us to find a sacred center of a full and abundant life. God delights in our efforts to follow wisdom’s ways.
God’s wisdom is always seeking us out and calling out to us but the question is will we create space to hear and listen?
Each day we stand at the crossroads of life where noise and silence intersect. As the day closes, name the noise and all its distractions that day. But also take care to make some silence. At the end of the day pause and consider how we have listened to the way of wisdom. I find these questions from Henri Nouwen helpful:
Did I offer peace today?
Did I bring a smile to someone’s face?
Did I say words of healing? Did I let go of my anger and resentment?
Did I forgive?
Did I love?
These are the real questions for they lead us to find wisdom.
In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Sources Referenced:
[1]Kathleen Norris, “Amazing Grace: A Vocabulary of Faith” (New York: The Berkley Publishing Group, 1998), pp. 16-17.
[2] Dietrich Bonhoeffer, “Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community” (New York: Harper & Row, 1954), p. 79.
[3] Art by Natalia Bystrianyk
No comments:
Post a Comment