When I was younger I wanted to be older. I saw how many seemingly more opportunities my older friends had. They could drive, they could get a job and make their own money, they looked so much more free to me. When I became old enough to drive, I realized with freedom comes responsibility, with a job comes discipline. Once I got to where I thought I wanted to be it did not look as glamorous to me.

Many people want to be somewhere they are not, for they see the old days as better than the todays; or they are searching for the eternal fountain of youth because they don’t like how they look in their current season. Contentment is such a gift and so many people are not content, so they are not happy. Being content means living in the moment you are given right now. Honestly, most people are not worried about the things you are worried about when you look at you.

When I was younger I used to hate silence. Silence meant alone which evoked loneliness. But now that I am older I cherish silence. But what I have learned is that there are people who love silence but it is so loud in their head, they never really enjoy silence. Silence is not an outside experience it is actually an inner reality. You can be on the the busy streets of NYC and still be in silence. You can be floating in a salt spa in a dark room and still have no silence. Silence comes with contentment, it is what the Bible calls rest.

I was reading Psalm 65 this morning and it says, “There will be silence before You, and praise in Zion, O God, And to You the vow will be performed.” Silence is a heavenly reality. Even in the midst of praise there is silence, because silence is an internal reality or stillness, the absence of worry, fear, anxiety, etc. Silence is not a sound outside of you, it is a reality that comes from trusting the One who lives inside of you. I enjoy silence everywhere I go, and you can too. Trust is the access code to silence.