Sit and Be Still

I have never met a stranger, a gift I inherited from my father. Grocery stores, restaurants, out of town museums; he can, and will talk to anyone. As a child this brought me great amounts of grief. It took an extra hour to go anywhere because of the conversations that would inevitably come.

I inherited this “gift of gab” from my dad; I love to talk, I love to meet new people, I love the sound of my own voice. I am what you would classify as an extrovert.

Last year I went to work in a cubicle environment, a large room divided by small partitions. I thrive in the buzzing environment of conversations and activity, but not everyone around me shares my enthusiasm. I started noticing my colleagues wearing headphones and even shushing me on occasion. Have you ever been shushed as an adult? It’s not a nice feeling.

Last Sunday our Pastor, Brian Jones, was talking about the different personality traits of introverts and extroverts. He gave a humorous demonstration of how different an introvert and extrovert would go through the motions of looking for lost car keys.

The contrast between the two was humorous. I laughed at the comedy of what I must sound like from an outsider, but it got me to thinking. How can I ever hear what God wants for me to hear if I’m the one always talking? The bible tells us to sit and be still. How often do I take the time to listen, not verbalize the first thought that comes to my mind, not speak the many words of the voices in my head, but just listen. I have to admit, not often.

This is my goal for the week: to sit and be still. I will earnestly stop and listen for God. Who knows what he may be trying to tell me.