Can you hear yourself think?  Can you hear God speaking to you? Sometimes, in this day and age, it can be hard to silence the noise around us long enough to hear God’s voice? I was driving home yesterday and saw 6 people walking independent of each other down the sidewalk. The first 5 women were all holding mobile phones to their ear as they walked. The last person, a man, appeared to be listening to his ipod with a set of headphones. Not a single person walking was simply enjoying the act of walking without some sort of outside stimulation. Of course, there is nothing wrong with talking on the phone while you walk or listening to music while you exercise. Possibly these 6 people had spent all day in deep solitude or reflection and were just now engaging with other people on the phone or listening to music for the first time. It just got me thinking…  Silence can be rejuvenating, invigorating and even therapeutic. But it can also be lonely and intimidating. It can be lonely because we are so used to noise and activity that any break from that hustle and bustle seems strange or even awkward. Silence can be intimidating because our thoughts bubble up from within instead of being generated by our environment, both the people and the media that surround us.  It can be enlightening just to sit and think and contemplate our life, this week, or even this particular day. In these moments of stillness, we get to know ourselves for better or for worse and maybe that is why so many avoid it. I know some people who never experience silence at all. Do you know anyone like this? They are always on the phone, listening to something or watching TV. I even know of people who turn several TV’s on throughout their house so as they walk from room to room, they don’t miss anything.  What about you? Do you have enough time away from noise and busyness to hear yourself think… or much more importantly, to hear God speaking to you and through you? How much quiet time do you need to reach your full potential? How much quiet time do you have scheduled for the next week? I encourage you to make this a priority.  What do you think?