Will Somebody Please Turn Down the Noise?!

Have you ever noticed the level of noise pollution in many restaurants? Music blares from speakers all over the building while two or three televisions hanging throughout the restaurant are set to different stations, further contributing to the cacophony. (How in the world are we expected to watch the TV when Olivia Newton-John is singing Xanadu loudly over the sound system?). Mix all of that with the normal din of dozens of conversations and you are talking chaos. And it is like that in many public places.
Now, obviously I am not suggesting some sort of noise revolt. Tried it. Failed. Seriously, what I am talking about is being intentional about making time for quiet in your life. Because there is so much more noise all around us than ever before, we have to make time to quiet ourselves and tune in to the condition of our own souls. The times that I find myself most out of sorts are when I have lost sight of this and I have allowed the noise to drown out the deep cries of my own heart. It is then that I run back to the quiet so that I can hear. God will never yell above the noise in our lives so we must position ourselves in the seat of silence in order that we don't miss what He wants to say. And it is so worth the effort. When was the last time you shut out the world and just listened?