Silence is Not Absence

Like many of you, this is not how we imagined 2020. Today, I woke up early and I woke up weary.

As I took in this sunrise, it was silent. It was not a moment I felt the overwhelming peace of Jesus. I just felt silence. And I have felt it all day.

But what we must remember in this time of uncertainty and unknown is that silence is not absence.

Jesus is not absent.
The Grave was empty.
He defeated it all.
Jesus is not empty.
And you will not be left empty.

You are not empty.
You will not be empty.

Absence of busyness does not take your worth away. Absence of routines, habits or schedules does not mean you are living in chaos. Absence of people around does not mean you are alone. Absence of “life as we knew it” does not mean God is not in control. Yesterday, tomorrow and forever.

Absence of the world will not leave us empty.
False filling of the world leaves us empty.

Only when we allow the Holy Spirit to fill us will we truly know absence and emptiness are no longer reality.

So today I had a lot of silence.

Grief, yes.
Silence, yes.
Weariness, yes.

But the truth is I am not empty, Jesus is not absent and He has not and will not abandon me. I am not abandoned.

You are not empty.
Jesus is not absent.
He will not abandon you.
He has not and He will not.

He is here.
Even in the silence.