In the Silence…

Back before refrigeration, people used icehouses to preserve their food. These icehouses had thick walls and no windows. In winter, blocks of ice were cut from frozen streams and lakes, covered with sawdust, then moved inside.

One day a man lost a very valuable watch while working in an icehouse. He looked and looked, carefully sifting through the sawdust, but didn’t find it. Even his co-workers searched, but with no luck. However, a young boy who heard about the dilemma slipped into the icehouse during the lunch hour, and before long came out with the watch. The workers were amazed and asked how he found it. The boy responded, “I closed the door, got down in the sawdust, and lay very still. Then, in the silence, I heard the watch ticking.”

I love this story because it serves as a metaphor. It reminds me that so often in life we want to hear God’s voice, God’s guidance, God’s direction, but rarely are we still enough to hear.

Let us pray: Loving God, we long for a healthy, centered life. We want to walk on your paths and follow your ways. Sometimes we find ourselves searching for answers, searching for something deeper, searching for something more. We know you are near. Help us to set aside space and time to simply be in your presence and to truly listen for your voice. Open us again to your Spirit. Amen.