Music from the silence of his own soul

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2021/05/artist-lane-feature-image-e1622514076309.jpg

Waiting in silence can be hard to do in a world full of noise. Even more so, being silent when it requires us to stop pursuing something of importance. It is in our nature to want action and to take any shortcut to make our passion a reality. 

How many times have you pursued a finish, only to find that had you stopped and taken in the fullness of a moment, you would have had a different outcome? 

That question brings new meaning to Psalms 46:10: “Be still and know that I am God.” 

As for me, waiting on God in silence has become an imperative. I have learned that if I quiet my heart and mind, life has a broader meaning.

My Sweet Al and I recently watched a movie titled “Silence of Music.” It is the story of Andrea Bocelli, the world’s most beloved tenor. In the film, we see how a young man, blind from an early age, learned to manage his talent in a world filled with adversity. 

As the boy grew from adolescent to teenager, his voice would change. This transformation caused him to despise his own voice. He would eventually wind up supporting himself at a piano bar where he refused to sing. 

A chance encounter with a revered vocal coach challenged him to rise up, discipline himself and be quiet in order to listen to the music that he possessed inside.

Even from childhood, Bocelli had an exceptional voice, but it was later in life where he learned to listen to the voice within in order to appreciate the fullness of what he would become. 

This didn’t happen overnight. In fact, he was encouraged not to speak or sing for many months, until he could hear from the silence in his own soul. It was there where he discovered the love he had for music. He says, “I sing from the love behind the notes.”

Like the famous singer, I, too, have needed to embrace the quietness of a moment. As it is with my writing, and through that process, I’ve discovered a love that is written behind the words. This process has given me a greater understanding of how I’m made and who I am to be.

Final brushstroke: We are learning to be quiet in this world that is a cacophony of sound. In doing so, we lift an ear to the one who is the music in our soul. It is then, in silence, where we find the true expression of who we are.

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