Those who know me well know that silence isn't a thing I "do." I'm a chatty guy. I mean, I talk for a living. You probably can do the math. But, for the last two weeks, I have been (on social media, blogs, and email) silent. Why?
Silence is not about not talking. Silence is about not talking so you can do something else. Listening, looking, reflecting. In my case, my silence meant three things.
Silence Meant Productivity
While I was away, I had the opportunity to do a few work projects in a more focused way. I was writing, reading, and helping the church planting movement I'm apart of assess new planters. My silence online meant I could think clearly about those important, brief bursts of productivity.
Silence Meant Family
It's really hard to enjoy a vacation with a phone in my hand. For you, your phone might mean fun. Maybe you read on it. Maybe you get life from social media. But for me, my iPhone is more of a task master. When it beeps, I work. Like Pavlov's dogs who salivated when the bell rang, I shutter a little when my phone vibrates. In order to enjoy a few days of fun with my wife and kids I completely ignored everyone who called, emailed, tweeted, or otherwise obfuscated a few electrons to get my attention. It was hard for me to do, I'll admit. And it was great.
Silence Meant Rest
I am not good at rest. Part of the reason is because I really love what I do. The other part is because I'm an achiever who finds it rather difficult to do nothing. But neither talking nor listening to the world meant I could listen to God, myself, my wife, and rest. I slept. I read. I played with my kids.
Why am I sharing this with you? Because sometimes you need to close the laptop, put the phone down, and ignore everyone else who really "needs" you to get back them right away so you can actually get something important done. Give it a shot. You might be surprised.
If you're interested, here are some pictures taken by my lovely wife of our restful trip.