Slow dance by Suria Scholtz
As the world is slowly re-opening, I detect a frenzy of activity and a flurry of noise as people rush from isolation and lockdown to make up for lost income and limited human contact. Having practiced the pause longer than their budgets could manage, they are geared for action and ready for enterprise. Nostalgic for some kind of normality myself, this is a reminder for us not to throw caution to the wind.
Music is beautiful not only for its notes but also for the spaces in between the notes.[1] It is this alternation between sound and silence that creates stirring melodies and memorable rhythms. In the same way, regular breaks between activities should bring necessary recovery and fresh creativity. In the past we used to fill these with different people, more noise and other work. While variety helps, we all know it is no guarantee that balance will be restored or originality achieved. And thus, my plea – for a slow dance as we return to life as we know it!
Whether you have loved or endured the lockdown, whether it has impacted you and your family dramatically or hardly at all, let us be vigilant in this time of transition. As Christians we have the privilege to let God take the lead and determine the moves. While we all agree in concept, it is a real struggle for many of us to let go and let God. In repentance and rest is your salvation, in quietness and trust is your strength, but you would have none of it. [2]
Many of us came out of this time of isolation, pretty clear on what we want to START, STOP, KEEP AND CHANGE, even if still unclear on the when, where, why and even how. Remember, Solomon’s temple was constructed not only with infinite care and planning, but also with minimum noise, for “no hammer, chisel or any other iron tool was heard.”[3] This seems contrary to the ways of the world, but if we want to advance God’s kingdom, we will have to get rid of excessive noise and activity. You see, God is speeding along the aeons of time in a slow dance – quietly, effortlessly and silently.
Thus, my plea for us all is to be intentional and build God-spaces into our daily routines. Remember, silence is both a state of the mind and a real space in time. A discipline to be mastered, silence is solitude, focus and peace in tender alignment. Its aim is simple – to be so close to God that we can hear His divine whisper and see His gentle thunder on the canvas of our lives.
And if you think yourself too busy for this discipline, remember Susanne Wesley, who had nineteen children, among them Charles and John Wesley. In the middle of her busy day, she would sit down in a chair and pull her apron up over her head. From under this apron her prayers were multiplied, her children blessed, a generation saved, and a revolution averted.
Silence is holy worship – The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth keep silence before him Hab. 2:20
Silence is a healing balm when the daily news from around the world, like a drum roll, harangues our souls – Be still and know that I am God. Ps 42:10
Silence is reverent submission to God when anxiety like billows try to sink our hope – For God alone my soul waits in silence Ps 62:1
Silence is self-control in the face of wordy explanations and lengthy talkathons – a time to keep silent and a time to speak. Eccl 3:7b
[1] Thomas Merton
[2] Isaiah 30:15 NIV
[3] 1 Kings 6:7
