How Can I Ever Spend Time in Silence?

The last few posts I’ve talked about how I began to slow down. It started with considering both my money and time, but another piece of the puzzle was the need for silence, which I didn’t even know was there. During this season of life, God introduced me, in a very sneaky way, to a silent retreat place in South Georgia called Green Bough House of Prayer.

Retreat With Friends

When our homeschool group first began, one of the moms decided to organize a weekend retreat for all of the moms. We were thrilled. As homeschooling moms, we rarely got time away from our family. We loved our family and loved homeschooling, but even homeschooling moms need a break.

One of my dear friends set up the retreat, I procured the church bus, and off we went one Friday afternoon. We stopped at Starbucks then hit the road, ready to go! It was pouring down rain that afternoon and a rainy, Friday afternoon in Atlanta traffic is just bad. I mean, barely move, inch along, bad.

In Silence - NO!!!!!

At some point during this rainy, slow drive, my dear friend said, “Oh, yeah, it’s a silent retreat.”

“WHAT? SILENCE? NO!!!!!” echoed throughout the bus.

I couldn’t believe it. The first time I had been away from my family in a long time; and with women I really liked, and I couldn’t talk. This was going to suck, and I had a long, slow drive to dread it.

Once we got to Green Bough, we all piled out of the bus. I’m not sure how everyone else felt, but I was not happy. Luckily, another one of my friends and I got a small cottage across the street from the retreat house. We both had the same attitude. We were NOT going to be silent. We would be quiet with the group but not in our cottage.

Rhythm of Life at Green Bough

Green Bough follows a rhythm of silence, centering prayer, services, and meals (in silence). I followed that rhythm and kept silence when I was in the company of others; and some while we were in our cottage, but I definitely did not have a silent retreat.

On Sunday afternoon while we were eating lunch, which was the first meal we were allowed to talk, I told the precious people of Green Bough all the things I had done wrong, but I promised I would be back and do it the right way.

Hearing God in Silence

Now, fifteen years later, I still visit my family at Green Bough at least once a year, but I try to go more than that. If I stay away too long, I feel the restlessness in my soul and realize it’s time to go back.

During the first retreat in the moments when I did it “right”, something was birthed in my soul. It was a desire for stillness and quiet that I had no idea was there. I didn’t realize how loud and busy my life was. It was in the stillness and the quiet where I began to hear God, sense his presence, and have a desire to know him more.