It’s so quiet in my house right now. Save for the ticking of the kitchen clock, and the low hum of the space heater, there is nothing else. I remember when my kids were young, I would come home after dropping them off at school, and sit for a few minutes with a good cup of coffee, savoring the silence more than the rich blend in my cup.

The world is noisy. Certainly, there are the physical sounds of life, the honking, zooming traffic, planes jetting overhead, background music in shopping venues, televisions blaring, and the voices of the populace rising in a fever-pitched cacophony. But there is also the constant online chatter of social media, posts and tweets throwing millions of differing opinions, on millions of differing topics, at you around the clock. There’s the never-ending 24-hour news cycle, making sure you don’t miss a single thing happening at any moment in any obscure location around the world. And if all of this wasn’t enough, there is the sound of your own voice, inside your head, rattling off endless to-do lists at 2:00 in the morning.

It’s deafening, all the noise, isn’t it?

When Lilli was here last week, we were outside at night, around our fire pit, waiting for Papa to come out and help us make s’mores. It was a clear night, and the stars were blanketing the country sky like so much glitter. Lilli, thoughtful, looked up at the sky and said,

It’s so quiet here. I can see everything better.

It seemed an odd thing to put together, the quiet helping her see, but the more I’ve thought about it, the more I believe she’s right. Noise clouds our ability to not only hear the still, small Voice that guides our way, but also to see how the Owner of that voice is working on our behalf, placing a star just so to shed light right where we need it.

It’s a jingle-bell world out there, especially at this time of year. Make time in the midst of all the busy to stop for a few minutes and savor the quiet like a silent night. Turn off your myriad devices for a time, and be still, even in your own mind. You’ll be able to not only hear, but see, everything better.

You won’t miss the star that will lead you, just like the wisest of men, to the King of Kings.

“For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him.” Psalm 62:5 ESV

“Step out of the traffic! Take a long,
    loving look at me, your High God…above everything.” Psalm 46:10 MSG