Today we live in a constantly rotating world of constant doing. We’re always sitting at a desk at school, going to work, running errands, and spending our time anywhere else but with our physical selves.

An important figure in my life taught me the importance of silence. His message to me was not necessarily about silence itself, but rather the importance of our inner voice – the voice in our head. As long as we’re awake, breathing, living, and doing things, that voice will never die.  It’s been with us since we were born, developing as we learned words, about love, and about the people who surround us.

But with our time spent sitting at a desk, going to work, and running errands, the voice in our head is often distracted, becoming disrupted when we socialize, work on school projects, or engage ourselves with technology.

However, at special times, though they may last only a few moments, we are silent and with ourselves. Those are the moments when we are speaking to ourselves, when our hearts are open and our minds are clear.

My first experience realizing this silence was when I was on an “adventure trip” with my church youth group. I cannot recall the exact spot nor the exact region of the park where I was, but it was in the Smoky Mountains. Though this is a special place in my heart for several reasons, I experienced a spiritual moment that stayed with me.  My youth group and I were hammocking by a river. It may have looked silly, seeing numerous colored nylon hammocks cross each other in spindle shapes, but each person was designated a hammock.

We realized our presence with one another, but we were silent. We listened to the rushing yet gentle river that flowed beside us and closed our eyes while the sun beat down on us.  We were content with ourselves and with the calm, spiritual environment surrounding us.  We were in full control of the beautiful silence which captivated us.

I believe that our true selves speak to us when we’re in this state, taking time to stop our lives and just be with our minds, bodies, and souls. I believe that we learn more about ourselves in this time, thinking about our likes and dislikes, and our goals and aspirations. We think about what we want to do and we create a path in our minds of how we’re going to be able to do it and when.

Perhaps this is what is meant when we are told to follow our hearts.

I feel inspired when I’m silent, ignoring all that is around me and focusing on myself. I’ve become happy and satisfied with who I am and who I want to become. That little voice in my head has guided me into the person I am today, though I may have ignored it before.

The silence has taught me that I want to dedicate my life to helping people all over the world, and that my calling in life is not one that has to be directed by others, but rather by that little voice in my head and the my heart that I am following.

So I don’t take my silence for granted, because I use my silence to listen to myself when I need to be guided. The moments I am falling asleep while I feel like I am surrounded by a black vacuum, or listening to the birds singing and the water trickling while I lay in a hammock, or using my free time when I’m home alone to listen to absolutely nothing as I lay on the living room couch is valuable, and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.

I’ve found that I am closest and experience God in the silence, and that He is the One guiding my thoughts, helping me evolve into the person I have become and will continue to become in a state of mind that I call serenity and peace.

So if I ever find myself lost, having a difficult time making a decision, or no longer wanting to go about my average, everyday routine, I search for the silence.

Because it is everywhere as long as your heart is open and you’re looking and listening for it.