Yesterday morning I was at the dentist – it’s never easy getting me in and out of the dentist chair; you have to move things around a bit – but with the help of an assistant, Ken got me in the chair just fine. The dental hygienist tilted the chair back and right away I looked up and noticed that the television was on – I was wondering where that constant noise was coming from. In fact, noise was everywhere… there were other television screens in all the other examination rooms. Before the hygienist started cleaning my teeth, I asked if she wouldn’t mind turning off the TV. There was already enough noise in the office without Whoopi Goldberg and the girls on The View adding to it. The dental assistant kind of looked at me funny – I think she assumed I’d want to be distracted from her working on me… but for me? I have enough noise, enough distractions in my life.
Take the freeway that very evening. On the way home from work, I asked my girlfriend who was driving me, “Please, can we turn off KNX news radio? And also, let’s get off the freeway here and take the back way home.” She also looked at me a little funny; because after all, it does make for a longer drive. But as noisy and crowded as that freeway was, plus with news radio giving us hardly anything but bad news… and like I said there is enough of that in our lives alone...that’s why often I like to turn off the news, get off a crowded freeway and take the back streets down quiet tree-lined lanes with lots of shade and gardens and green places.
When we pulled up to my house and I got out of the van, I just sat there for a long minute and the sun was setting, I listened to the doves cooing… there were birds chirping… the neighborhood was quiet… I could smell fresh cut grass and the shadows were long and cool. And even that night when I went to bed… I put on a Fernando Ortega CD real softly and just relaxed; enjoying the peace and quiet.
And I tell you, when I prayed right before going to sleep, I thanked God for the power of silence… for the ministry of peace and serenity… for the encouragement of rest and quiet. It made me think of that wonderful and so profound verse in Isaiah 32:17 where it says, “The fruit of righteousness will be peace; the effect of righteousness will be quietness and confidence forever.” Did you get that? Peace and quiet are directly related to righteousness. When we are living rightly, we should feel content being quiet… we should feel at home being peaceful and serene. And if our lives do not reflect peace and quiet (if we find ourselves constantly filling up our time with noise and distractions and entertainment), then we should be concerned… because then something’s not right… something’s not righteous. Friend, today enjoy the fruit of righteousness; feel the effects of it. Get off the highway, turn off the TV, turn down the radio, shut down your pager, and enjoy a little bit of peace and quiet because it is the righteous thing to do.
Used by permission of
JONI AND FRIENDS
P.O. Box 3333
Agoura Hills, CA 93176
© Joni and Friends