Silence

[an excerpt from "Prayers for the Living" ?]

“Shhh,” says the voice in the darkness, “Don’t say a word.”

Seemingly innocent is the simple retort of the best friend;

“No one will like you if they find out.” 

While clutching his target in a headlock the assassin whispers into his victim’s ear;

“If you say a word I’ll kill you where you stand.”

#Judgment; #Ridicule; #Condemnation; #Admonition; #Exclusion; #Incarceration; #Banishment… These are the terms dished out by the voice to coerce your silence.

Who is the voice in the darkness?

Who is the best friend?

Who is the assassin?

Who is the negotiator of your silence?

You are.

You and your subconscious belief that the person you are in silence is safe, and free from the damaging terms if you otherwise don’t comply. The voice is not the enemy outside but rather the enemy within. The voice you choose to listen to can free you from this binding singular-arbitration or can hold you in solitary confinement for a lifetime.

You may be asking why such a hard stand on silence?

Perhaps you don’t believe that it’s anyone’s business what it is you need to keep silent about. Perhaps you’re not even sure what it is that I’m referring to.

Sin is what you’re protecting. Read this word sin as an admonition towards something unrighteous in the name of religiosity and you’ve missed the point.

Silence perpetuates sin.

Sin, in effect, is anything that prevents you from living a successful, meaningful and effective life. Some will read this as I stated above and consider that I speak only of moral fortitude. I ask you however, to broaden your perspective. Replace the word sin with the term;

“Bad-Habit”.

Certainly, I could spend an entire semester simply discussing the immoral route that a sinful life will lead you down. But how you do one thing is how you do just about everything. Sins can be rationalized, debated and offered in levels of transgression or offense. You’ll hear from the sympathetic listener such words as;

“Oh it wasn’t that bad” or “It could’ve been worse" & "You’re o.k.”

I’d rather offer this reasoning in my attempt to free your mind and your conditioning:

Tell your story so that you can free yourself and thereby assist in impacting the lives of others.

Share your hurt so that those coming along behind you can find their own path towards freedom. Shout out the pain so that it doesn’t hold you down, back or in reverse any longer. By telling the tale you shed light on the voice, you purse the lips of the best friend, you remove all the ammunition from the assassin’s gun and you close the deal on your negotiator. You are freed from the ties that bind you.

Silence is your enemy and your stronghold. You don’t believe me? Then there’s no conflict for you. You can continue your path and ignore this principle to eternity.

Who are you in your silence?

What do you do when you’re alone or surrounded by those who don’t truly know you?

How do you behave when no one is looking?

Perhaps you truly are the voice audibly telling someone else not to utter a word regarding your offense, all the while holding a card in your hand regarding something they’ve done in return. [Politics-101]

Silence is the trick of the addicted, the depressed, the hurt, the victim as well as the abuser, the pusher, the oppressor and the judge. Silence is what allows you to continue in your bad habits while wearing the mask of ‘looking good’ publicly. Because the principle is; private practice determines public performance, you don’t even realize the damage the collapse of your character can have on your talent.

I share the wisdom of Silence at every Emmaus retreat that I attend and serve. I share with the men that silence is the tool of the enemy within; to keep you from the freedom that Christ has already paid the debt for. Christ taught us lessons to free us from all things that bind us here on earth that we might live life more abundantly; not just religiously. Therefore, I tell you to look beyond the moral aspect of silence.

Look inside yourself so that I don’t have to fill these pages with the individual and broad range of bad habits we all have. Open your mouth to share with someone you trust and who will listen (not judge) your story, or your situation. Be that friend for someone else as well. You hold the key to your delivery from this self-perpetuated habit. You hold the answer for someone’s freedom.

Are you continuing to serve yourself or are you willing to have a greater impact on the lives of others?

It’s your choice.

I choose to share, to be vulnerable and to ultimately be free. I choose to reach my hand back while climbing upward with the help of another. I hope you’ll look for my hand as you reach back for those coming along the path.

Lift while you climb.

I’m just doing my best to make an impact. I hope you’ll join me along the journey.

Phillip Anthony Gornail ?

[Phil is the author of The 4 Step Plan & Prayers for the Living.]