Silence

Sometimes just the thought of a few hours of silence can freak us out.

Kathleen Norris writes about the reaction of one of her students to sitting in silence: "It's scary," a fifth grader complained. "Why?" I asked, and I believe that he got to the heart of it when he replied, "It's like we're waiting for something--it's scary!"

Exactly! When we're at The Springs we enjoy leisurely hours of silence and we are expectantly waiting for the Lord. The first time, it can be scary. Once we get used to the idea, it becomes one of the true gifts of the retreat. There is so much we can experience when we listen and wait. It really not actually very scary after all.

We come to understand what the psalmist had in mind when he wrote: "Be still and know that I am God."

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