Ash Wednesday marks the first day of the Lenten period, this period is usually marked with fasting and repentance for many. It is a time when many seek to quiet their hearts to hear from the Creator.
Yet, there are those who will disagree on different levels for different reasons and that is perfectly fine. Everyone has the right to their own opinions; opinions are usually heavily influenced by personal experience.
Despite our varied religious backgrounds, I hope we will all take some time to quiet our hearts before our Creator and seek of him. He speaks with a still small voice and through his creation, among others. He also grants us peace, peace that is unspeakably yet so needed in the times within which we are living.
Stillness can be described simply as the absence of noise or distractions. Practicing stillness goes against our culture and accepted norms, nevertheless, it yields life-changing benefits. In order to practice stillness, we need to eliminate distractions so we can quiet our hearts and minds.
The practice of stillness quiets our hearts and minds so we are better able to hear our intuitions, connect with ourselves and our desires, calms our fight and flight responses and enables us to hear our Creator clearer. Moments of stillness enables us to tap into our creativity as we find the peace to direct our focus and innovativeness in a way we can’t in a loud environment. We discover a fresh version of ourselves and an increased connection with our Creator. In the stillness, may we hear our hearts’ cry, may we grow closer to our Creator and may we discover that, truly we are so much more…
