Silence

 February 11, 2021

Alison Krauss got it right when she sang, “You say it best when you say nothing at all.” Sometimes, the best argument is silence. Sometimes the most cogent words are those not spoken. I’ve too often been guilty of speaking when I really had very little to say, or when my contribution was more about me than about speaking truth with grace. And sometimes it’s best to be silent because it’s been such a busy day that we haven’t had time to think through what might come out of our mouths. Speaking for the sake of hearing ourselves talk is rarely wise. Anyone who has listened to the political rhetoric coming out of Washington knows this to be true.

Yesterday began with an early morning breakfast and prayer time with two pastor friends, following which Linda and I drove to Churchville to help my sister in law, brother, and sister finish packing up the remnants of our mother’s belongings along with some of my sister’s stuff. Mom is with Jesus, and my sister is moving to Tennessee to be nearer her daughters. There was plenty to do, and it took all day. In the evening, our granddaughter and her fiancee stopped over to see us, which meant bedtime was a little later than we’re accustomed to.

It was a good and productive day, but not particularly conducive to theological or any other kind of reflection, so silence was the best I could offer. Habakkuk did one better than Alison Krauss: “The LORD is in His holy temple. Let all the earth keep silence before Him.” (2:20). Yesterday, I observed that ancient command. Maybe if I did it more often, I’d be better able to listen, and to have something more worthwhile to say when I speak. And if not, I would hope to be wise enough to heed the advice of Abraham Lincoln who noted that it is better to be silent and thought a fool than to open one’s mouth and remove all doubt.