“We need those (thirty minutes of silence in heaven) moments of silence on this side of the space-time continuum too. It’s one way we nurture a sense of wonder. Blaise Pascal, the seventeenth-century French philosopher, went so far as to say, ‘All of man’s miseries derive from not being able to sit quietly in a room alone.’ Silence is one of the soul’s love languages.”- Mark Batterson
“There are only two ways to live your life. One is as if nothing is a miracle. The other is as if everything is.”- Albert Einstein
As Mark Batterson continues Chapter 4 of Primal, he asserts that our earthly experience of wonder foreshadows what we’ll experience in heaven. However, that sense of wonder also serves as a primal reminder that what we refer to as natural phenomena really are supernatural phenomena. And, Pastor Batterson contends, we ought to celebrate them in that way.
For example, Nikola Tesla, the inventor of alternating current, had one particularly revealing and inspiring ritual. During thunderstorms, Tesla sat on a couch near a window in his home. Every time lightening struck and thunder clapped, he’d rise to his feet and applaud God. As Mark states, “It was one genius, lower-case g, giving a standing ovation to another Genius, capital G.”
Finally, Pastor Batterson observes, at any given moment an epiphany can occur in your life. Although you never know how or when or where that epiphany will occur, at some point God invades the reality of your life. And that gives you a glimpse of His glory. That, Pastor Batterson believes, makes life worth living. Also, Mark encourages, as your wonder grows, so does your soul. In fact, he states, your capacity for wonder determines the size of your soul.
Today’s question: How do you see silence as one of the soul’s love languages? Please share.
Tomorrow’s blog: “Sit round it – pluck blackberries”
