Within the Silence

My voice vanished this past weekend, as a result of my long weeks of respiratory illness, and has still not returned. Being unable to speak has been humbling—forcing me into silence and deep listening. And in this quiet, I’ve realized how often I miss the still, soft voice within—the one that holds my truth—and the gentle urgings of the Divine in nature.

Yesterday, while reading The World’s Wisdom by Philip Novak, I came across a passage that struck something deep within me. Abu-Yazid Al-Bistami, an early Persian Sufi, wrote:

“What I was I no longer am, for ‘I’ and ‘God’ are a denial of God’s unity. Since I no longer am, God is His own mirror. He speaks with my tongue, and I have vanished.”

My first reaction was discomfort—perhaps even shame—as I asked myself: Have my words and actions reflected the Divine? Too often, I think the answer has been no. I’ve been too busy, too distracted, too far from stillness to let that reflection shine through.

But here’s the beauty: the Divine is always offering us another chance. The quiet moments—the ones we so often overlook—are invitations to pause, to listen, and to align once again with what is sacred.

So, I ask you:

? Where might you need to pause and listen today?

? What quiet wisdom—within or around you—are you being invited to hear?

If this offering speaks to you, I’d love to hear your reflections. Where are you being called to listen? Where can you begin to reflect the Divine a little more clearly today?

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Novak, Philip. The World’s Wisdom: Sacred Texts of the World’s Religions. HarperCollins, 1994, p. 323.