"Somewhere we know that without silence words lose their meaning, that without listening speaking no longer heals, that without distance closeness cannot cure. Somewhere we know that without a lonely place our actions quickly become empty gestures. The careful balance between silence and words, withdrawal and involvement, distance and closeness, solitude and community forms the basis of the Christian life and should, therefore, be the subject of our most personal attention" (Henri Nouwen).

Life is a balance of the both/ands, a balance that is hard sometimes to maintain. As a result, problems begin to develop. For most of us the lack is in the silence and aloneness, in the quiet and in the listening. We need to take our cue from Elijah. In his most uncertain time, as he was running away from disaster, he found God not in the noise around him, not in the obvious, but in the inner stillness. It is there he heard the voice of God and the direction in his life. 

It is easy for us to say that we do not have the time. There is so much on our plate. But if we don't take the time to listen in silence for God's direction, why do we complain that we are always overwhelmed? Only God can sort things out for us. It will not come in an instagram or an email. It will come in the patient waiting in silence.