The Sound of Silence

The months dragged on. My notepad accompanied me wherever I went—including to the bank. My kids were away in college, so I learned to text message. E-mail was the preferred method of communication. Four and a half months I remained trapped in a silent world with no hope.

 
I had a busy life to keep up with. Every woman in my Bible study had a chance to try leading. I sat silently with my notepad and wrote notes if necessary. I was not indispensable. Several women discovered they had the ability to lead, and we learned a new way to be a vessel used by God, emptied of ourselves.

 
My inner spiritual life soared. God frequently gives us object lessons to drive home the point He is trying to teach us. Eventually God led me to a speech pathologist at our local university hospital. Her laryngoscopy enabled her to see what no one else had—a condition which could be successfully treated with therapy. She thought twelve weeks—I spoke the first time. God will not let us suffer one moment longer than is necessary for teaching us the lesson He wants us to learn.

 
When life seems hopeless. When ordinary things are frightening. There is hope. Everything God allows into our lives is to be used for our benefit and His glory.

 
Learning to take my focus off the obvious and look for God to reveal His way through the trial can have empowering results. Whatever that roadblock is, God has plans to work in and through it. When I get myself out of the way and give my problem to Him, I will begin to see Him work. His grace is sufficient.