December 9, 2006

Noise

Posted in reflection at 12:24 pm by jimazing

Noise everywhere! I’m sitting in the library waiting for Jeanie who is in a meeting at work. I have an hour to read and write… Kids are running around making noise and their mom is letting them. Interestingly, she fusses at the older girl for making noise when it is the younger one who is making more noise. (What’s up with that? ) I thought the library was supposed to be the “quiet zone”.

Everywhere that used to be quiet has become noisy. While I pump gas, the station pumps bubble-gum pop music into my ears. (So I won’t get bored?) I would avoid the noisy gas station, but now they are all noisy. I can’t even have peace and quiet while I pump gasoline into my car!

Even at the movie theater while waiting for the movie to start, they have gone from nothing to playing a slide show of advertisements to now playing music or short videos to “entertain me”.

It is in the stillness, in the quiet moments when I can hear God. It is hard enough to make these moments happen in my own busy schedule. Now rather than just fighting against myself, I find myself fighting with my environment. As if on cue, a little boy near me just started making a repetitive high pitched noise, “how-wooooo, how-wooooo, how-wooooo, how-wooooo…” He left, now the little girl runs by shouting to her sister… ARGH!!!

I need quiet. Must have quiet…

As I was about to close this post, I imagined what it must be like to be in a war zone. Either as a soldier or a bystander. Constant noise, danger, fear, trauma… Thank you, God for reminding me that I am blessed to be able to find quiet if I look hard enough.

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