Silence is golden?

An old adage says "silence is golden." The proverb dates back to ancient Egypt, and continues to be used today to express the thought that sometimes saying nothing is preferable to speaking.

There is great truth conveyed in the expression. Sometimes it is better to say nothing at all. There are times when a sharp word or critical word can do much damage. Solomon continually expressed the truth of governing our speech in the book of Proverbs. The man of wisdom never put it in the words of silence is golden, but the thought is conveyed there. In Proverbs 25:24 he said "it is better to dwell in the corner of the housetop than with a brawling woman in a big house." He was saying to get away from contention, even if it means to go to the farthest part of the rooftop away from it. Yes, sometimes silence is golden.

But silence can also be troubling. The silence of a man and woman in a house not speaking to each other. The silence of a cold heart. The silence of a friend not speaking. Sometimes lack of communication can send the wrong signals, even if it was not intended to.

I am a communicator, a talker. Sometimes too much. I blog, I tweet on twitter, I constantly talk on facebook. I talk on my cell phone, I text. I preach and teach. I am constantly speaking. I enjoy talking, and I enjoy listening. It is good to have people to talk to. I appreciate my family and friends more than they will ever know. I cannot imagine not talking. I can't imagine silence.

But sometimes I feel the Lord is calling me aside. It is during those times that my communication with people is not as frequent. And I usually don't announce that I have "stilled myself" so that I can hear from heaven. I don't write as much, don't joke as much (I am a natural jokester), I don't say as much. But I have found that sometimes those close to me can misread my silence. My silence to them can be an indicator of something wrong.

Don't know why I'm blogging about silence today. One thing is, I don't want you to misread my silence. It is not to you... it is unto Him.

Silently signing off until the next time when I holler back at you.
Pastor Ronnie