Category Archives: Family

The Sound of Silence

Faith, Family, Heavenly Placed, Home, , , , ,

Sounds come at us all day long. People talking, children laughing (or fighting), conversations with our spouse, traffic passing by, doors opening and shutting, food cooking, birds, bullfrogs, and buzzings outside. No matter where we are or where we go, there is noise. And yes, if a tree falls in the forest and there is no one to hear it, it still makes a noise!

Do you ever just need to hear silence? I mean, maybe you’re not as desperate as I am, but I find it so hard to find a time alone; a quiet place where I can—you know—hear silence.

My world is so crazy, so busy, so crowded, (like many of us, I’m sure) that I find myself always looking for an opportunity to not talk, not interact. Don’t get me wrong, I love people, I love spending time with my family and friends. But sometimes I just need – Silence.

When I wake up early in the morning, sometimes I hesitate to breathe because I’m afraid someone will hear, and all the noises of the day will begin; distracting me from what really is important to me the first thing in the morning—listening to God.

Small Still Voice

With all the noises in life, it’s hard to hear the small, still voice that is God’s.

When my kids were small, if I had something important for them to hear, I would wait for them to quiet down, and when I was sure they were listening I would try to clearly explain to them what I wanted them to know, or what I was expecting of them.

If they were distracted in any way—watching TV, playing a video game, reading a book—they usually would not hear me correctly, completely, or not at all!

Sometimes, if I really needed them to listen to me, I would get on their level, put my hand on their shoulder, look them in the eyes and in a hushed tone (sometimes through gritted teeth, depending on the situation at hand) I would tell them what was expected of them.

And it’s usually during our quiet times together when I tell them how much I love them, or that I’m proud of them, or that I think they’re doing a terrific job being a human being.

Take Time to Listen

I believe the Lord speaks to us in the same way. I mean, yeah, He could boom His message through the clouds, or shout something out like the rumble of thunder, but He chooses to speak to us in hushed, loving tones as we seek to find His will for our life.

He lovingly tells us that He has a plan for our life, and if we are willing to listen, He will show us the paths to walk.

Seek His will in all you do, and He will show you which path to take.

Proverbs 3:6 (NLT)

For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:11-13

He whispers to us when we are afraid or unsure or have something hard to face.

In God I trust and am not afraid. What can man do to me?

Psalm 56:11 (NIV)

Have I not commanded you? “Be strong and courageous. Do not be frightened, and do not be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.”

Joshua 1:9 (ESV)

He lays His hand upon our shoulder and assures us that we are not alone, and that no matter how lonely we feel, He is always there.

…He is not far from each one of us:

Acts 17:27 (ASV)

… For He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.”

Hebrews 13:5 (NKJV)

…I am with you always, even unto the end of the world.

Matthew 28:20 (KJV)

And as His children, it’s so important that we turn off the TV, the radio, the phone, the world, the noise, and find a place of silence where we can look into the Father’s face and listen to what He is longing for us to hear.

…He rewards those who earnestly seek Him.

Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)

Devote your heart and soul to seeking the Lord your God…

1 Chronicles 22:19 (NIV)

You will seek me and find me, when you seek me with all your heart.

Jeremiah 29:13 (ESV)

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Oswald chambers was a preacher/teacher from the early 1900’s. His book “My Upmost for His Highest” is one of the most popular devotionals to date. Below are some of his books, including “My Upmost for His Highest”.

Never Too Late

Family, Home, , , ,

The call came late in the evening on March 18, 2018. “Your Dad doesn’t have much longer. You had better come, before it’s too late.”

Hanging up the phone, I knew it was already too late. Too late to hold his hand, too late to hug his neck, too late to say I love you, too late to say good-bye.

It’s too late to sit at the kitchen table and drink a cup of coffee with Dad, while he recalled some long-lost adventure from his youth.

It’s too late for me to answer the casual questions he asks me each time I go out to visit: “Is Ron in the hay field?” “How are the kids?” “Did you plant a garden this year?”

It’s too late to hear Dad chuckle at something one of us would say. Dad had a great sense of humor, and I appreciated every smile, every raised eyebrow and the nod of agreement that I shared with him.

It’s too late to hear him call out to me and Mom to “be careless” as we walk out the door to go on an occasional errand. And then he would say that was what the ‘ole man down the road used to tell him, and I would smile realizing that he was the ‘ole man down the road now.

It’s too late to… It’s just too late.

That’s the sad part of life; saying good-bye and never having another chance to do the day-to-day, unappreciated, seemingly unimportant relational interacting with each other. The little things that we take for granted or the things that go unnoticed, until it’s no longer there.

There’s no way to prepare for it; there’s no way we know what we’ll miss about a person. After someone is gone, it’s too late. It’s too late for me and Dad to share any more memories together. It’s too late; the time we had together has ended.

Yes, it’s so true; for now our time together has ended and it’s too late to make new memories. However, I know the Creator of time-God-and nothing is ever too late for Him.

It’s never too late for God to mend my broken heart. It’s never too late for God to fill me with His peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s never too late for me to rest upon the hope that has been given.

Death isn’t the end; not for Christians. If you trust in the Lord Jesus Christ, you are promised eternal life.

“O death, where is thy sting?
O grave, where is thy victory?”
…Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory
through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
1 Corinthians 15:55-57

When I was 21 years old, I made the decision to know God and to accept His provision for eternal life. Dad also made that decision.

Although our time runs out this side of life, it’s never too late for Christians.

Jesus has prepared a place for us who choose Him as our Lord. When a Christian’s life is over here on earth, our spirits are transported to that place that Jesus has prepared. (John 16)

Dad and I will never meet again on this side of glory, but one day we will both be together, kneeling at the feet of Christ; worshiping the Father for His goodness and mercy; living eternally with the One who created us all. In Heaven, it’s never too late.

The Path

My Dad was strong and faithful, loyal and true.
The path he walked was followed by few.
He shared his path with his loving wife,
Together they walked 63 years of life.

Upon this path I’ve been allowed to track,
All the memories he’d share from way, way back.
On solid ground he walked from day-to-day,
Never straying from the path that before him lay.

He was as strong as a bull and as harmless as a bunny,
But the best thing about him; he was so darn funny.
There was never a time he didn’t make me laugh.
And I enjoyed each moment we spent on his path.

In recent years noticing his path growing dim,
I knew like all good things; it would come to an end.
He continued his walk through this world unknown,
Until he was guided to his heavenly home.

As I looked back upon the path he had walked,
I was grateful for each and every shared talk.
When my path ends, I’ll see him on Heaven’s bright shore
And we’ll meet once again for evermore.

–cindraenloe

I love you Dad, with all my heart