“Never miss a good chance to shut up.” ~
Will Rogers had many pithy sayings that have immortalized him. Today’s quote is one of my favorites. While he might have been thinking about certain people when he said the phrase above — he targeted politicians a lot — I have always viewed the quote from the vantage point of myself and my spirituality.
There are too many times in our lives when we talk to God, endlessly and forever. We petition Him, bug Him, and remind Him. Those are all manners of prayer, yes. However, those types of prayers lack one thing: silence. In order to have the best relationship as possible with God, there has to come a time when we shut up. We can only speak so much.
When we speak, we prevent ourselves from listening to God. We probably all have “that one friend” that is an incessant talker. When speaking with us, do we ever get a word in edgewise? I didn’t think so. I have a couple of those myself. It’s frustrating. Even when I try to answer, I am interrupted with more chatter.
I imagine God’s frustration as we talk to Him or, more to the point, talk at Him and never pause to listen to His response. If we would shut up once in a while, our relationship with Him could grow exponentially.
FAITH ACTION: Create some time today to sit in silence in order to give God a chance to speak to you.