I spent a little over a year in a monastery and spent most of my time as a novice. As novices, we were to live a hidden life away from the world so that we could grow in our relationship with Christ; therefore preparing us to be able to go out in to the world to minister. The most life impacting thing I took with me when I left was the appreciation of silence. At first it was very difficult. Why? Well, not being able to just chitchat or talk whenever, forces us to look into ourself. The inside self. Your heart! It is very scary, as a novice, to take your hear seriously. You begin by opening the door to your heart and then start sorting things out. One by one you come face to face with desires, wounds, memories, and deeper things. And then you sort them out one by one. The mysterious thing is that you get a sense that you are not alone. Someone is there with you; wanting to also sift through it all. Once the process of digging deep is completed then it is just you and Him. And then the gaze turns outward towards the world……
Today, I thirst for silence (I have 4 kids under the age of 5). This is one of the main reasons I want time freedom. So that instead of heading to a cubicle, I can head towards the mountains to find some peace and silence.
