It has been a long tradition in our family and in our church to give up something for Lent. Typically, that has been something like popcorn or chocolate - the special things I like to eat at night. The objective of this tradition is to sacrifice something that may be difficult to give up, just like Jesus sacrificed His life and future for us.
This year I am trying to give up or let go of the noise in my life. I find my days filled with noise, some of it is just noise I choose to fill my head with. I love true crime podcasts and listen to them pretty obsessively in the car as I travel. I love silly videos of people falling into pools or flipping off their bike. I love listening to stories about other people’s lives on Instagram. But recently, these podcasts, videos and posts have consumed more of my focus than they really should. I am filling my head with noise, and not the noise that I need.
So, my commitment has been to do my drive to work each morning in silence. No radio, no podcast, no phone distractions…silence. The goal: 40 minutes of silence.
Silence is scary. It causes me to focus more on myself then I usually have time for. It pushes me to reflect on things from yesterday or things in my day to come. And if I can get past those things, I can settle my soul in prayer.
What I have found in the silence of the last couple of days is that I look up more. I open the sunroof or I roll down the window in my car. My eyes land in the clouds, on the tops of the trees, above the chaos below. I am reminded of times in my kayak when all I can see is God’s creation. I find God up high, above the noise, where the view is bigger and wider.
As I let go of the noise, I notice a bigger perspective. It’s scary, the silence makes you think about things you don’t usually have time for. But it’s necessary and it’s giving me a better perspective.
What are you choosing to let go of this Lenten season? I would love to hear how it’s changing you.
