I’ve been remiss in my posting lately. It’s summer and I try to escape the busyness of the world as much as possible during these few months of good weather. And when I say escape, I do mean escape. Escape from what? The noise!

I was raised in a small, quiet household, and so I grew accustomed to silence and solitude. I’ve had to adapt quite a bit to accommodate a wife and children, but for the most part we are a fairly quiet family. Upon returning from a restful and peaceful vacation a couple of weeks ago, I came to realize just how noisy everyday life is in our neighborhood, and in life in general.

Everywhere I turn, there is noise. Cars, planes, kids, dogs, skateboarders, baseball games, the refrigerator ice dispenser — those are just the normal sounds of life where I live. And when those aren’t enough, when we need to really “relax,” most of us add a little more noise. Television, music, video games, iPods, subwoofers, motor boats, four-wheelers, snowmobiles — all of the things that people use to relax involve some kind of noise. Why is it that most people want to make noise and listen to noise, but most of the time I just want silence?

I’m trying to discern whether I’m becoming a grumpy thirty-something man, or I just like quiet.  Am I intolerant?  When God speaks to me, it’s not in a loud, booming voice.  I have a difficult time trying to discern His will for me.  What I do know, is that I don’t generally feel His presence (although I know He’s always present) when it’s noisy.

Much of the time I feel as though I want to withdraw (with my family, of course) into some sort of rural life, away from the busy, noisy lives that we lead in the suburbs.  While I know that rural life offers an entirely different set of disadvantages, the ability to open my windows at night and sit peacefully outside seem like much greater advantages.

I know that we humans are supposed to be social creatures.  I do in fact socialize well at work.  I also know that God has commanded us to love our neighbor as ourselves.  But does that mean I have to like the noise that they make?  Let’s hear it for silence!