Trees

A tree from far away looks calm

The leaves are uniformly leaves

The trunk is uniformly a trunk

As you move closer the tree becomes busy.

The bark on the trunk has texture.

The leaves are blinds that shade the sun,

but don't blot it out completely.

Then you come right up on the tree.

The bark on the trunk is teeming with life.

It is a city for insects, birds, and mammals.

The leaves have veins that accept nutrients

from the complicated network of twigs that run

up from the life teeming trunk

Silence

In essence it is golden

community in silence

lives more prosperous

because

in silence I support you

in silence I love you

in silence I sacrifice for you

There is no one important in silence

We are all equal

You are just as important as I am

There is nothing I can say that will ruin the

love I have for you

There is nothing you can say that will ruin the

love you have for me

Why then is silence so uncomfortable?

Trust

It is hard for me to trust you

It is hard for you to trust me

But

You CAN trust the spirit in me

I can trust the spirit in you

The spirit can move in our silence

The spirit speaks our peace

How often do we listen to the spirit at work within us?

That is why we are uncomfortable

We are not very good listeners

In silence we listen to be comfortable with each other.

In silence I listen to my savior

As I understand my savior

I understand you

because you are in relationship with him

Silence is my haven

I get to know you without conflict

And as we grow in Christ

I will grow in relationship with you

Silence is golden