The Sacredness of Silence

“The days are long, but the years are short”, fell on my deaf ears. I heard, but I did not understand, until now. 

As I go through my camera roll, deleting what no longer serves me, I feel something deep in my heart. Is it pain? The moments went by so fast. I had no idea I would be looking back years later in remembrance of what I once had, yet felt I had none of. I had joy, yet I remember heartbreak. I had fun, yet I remember treacherousness. 

As I close old cycles and begin anew, I must take time to reflect on the past.

The scholarships I won.

The relationships I had.

The connections I made.

The conferences I attended.

The businesses I started. 

The growth I was able to witness of my son. 

I used to say I always live in the moment, taking each day as it comes; however, I don’t even think I understood the words I was speaking to myself. 

The times I am living through right now will go on to forever change my life, as every single time I have lived through in the past has done as well. It can sometimes seem like a drag that to get through some moments. I did not see what world I was building for myself, internally and externally. The knowledge and experiences I was acquiring looked meager at the moment. Now, I see what it has built up to be. 

With this recognition, I can now take the knowledge and experiences I am acquiring at this point in time with full knowing of the power that they hold. I have everyone to thank, yet no one at the same time. My full thanks remain with God. He has allowed my heart to change. He has allowed others’ hearts to change. Though we may not all act with the best intentions at all times, there is always a point in life that we can say, “Wait, this isn’t how I want to live.” 

I choose to fully accept love and joy as the pinnacle of which my livelihood stands on. There are hard times and there are easy times, yet all times add to the development of myself. They all pull me closer to the One who allowed me to see Him to save my life.

“For the faults of the many, judge not the whole. Everything on Earth is of mixed character, like a mingling of sand and sugar. Be like the wise ant which seizes only the sugar, and leaves the sand untouched.”

– Mahavatar Babji

I showed this quote to a few new friends at a local Baha’i Center today. 

I was invited to an interfaith discussion they were having. The theme was justice. 

My first encounter with the Baha’i faith was about two weeks ago. I was at a park, playing with bubbles and making music with my son. I ran into a lady who runs a local Baha’i center. It was a quick interaction, just an exchange of information. I had never heard of the faith before, which is quite rare for me. 

My son then went to play with bubbles, who a man sometimes comes to the park to make to entertain the kids. I sat down on a bench to read. The Joy of Sects by Peter Occhiogrosso was my book of choice. A few pages in, the Baha’i faith was mentioned. 

Whenever I am invited to a new church, I always go if I feel the pull on my heart. In that moment, I felt the pull on my heart. 

That weekend, I met up with both of the owners: a married couple. The synchronicities and coincidences that occurred in the conversation that took place had my mind swirling. As I said the word coincidence to the man who sat in front of me, I quickly corrected myself.

“Well, I don’t really believe in such a thing as coincidences.”

In response, he spoke with a smile, “That’s what I was thinking. I just wasn’t going to say it.”

My visit at the center today was my first time meeting other members of the faith. To say I was uplifted afterwards is a stark understatement to the absolute feeling of “I am on my God ordained path.” 

In the meeting, I shared a short piece I wrote up this morning after a prayer for how to handle a recent conflict that occurred in my life, as well as listening to a devotional. I titled it, The Sacredness of Silence. 

__________

The Sacredness of Silence

It takes courage to remain silent when the ego wants to howl.

It takes strength to retain composure in reaction.

It takes dignity to leave words unsaid.

It takes wisdom to hold the cruelty of the tongue.

Sometimes, the most rooted in God thing you can do is nothing at all.

Some battles are not to be fought with words. In a world that is so loud, there is a beauty in the one who can sit still. Leave space for God to speak. God speaks in the silence. When it comes a time to stop defending yourself, God begins defending you.

Sometimes, to be right with God is to be wrong with man.

Knowing who you are and who sent you will give you the power to walk away.

God sees you.

God knows you.

When God says speak,

You will stand tall.

You will sound like peace.

God will give you the words.

When Jesus went through his trials, he remained calm and composed. His desire remained with proving himself to God. Had he fought his death, he would have never risen. Imagine if he had spoken. The miracle could have been lost; the blessing could have been postponed.

His stillness spoke his sermon.

__________

After the discussion, we had a time of healing prayer. One woman spoke for the healing of a friend, another spoke a prayer in Farsi, and another sang a song. I chose to sing Psalm 91.

The absolute sense of community and welcoming that I felt from this group of people is, again, swirling my head. 

The words that were shed upon me today by members of the Baha’i faith will never be forgotten.