“That silence is one of the great arts of conversation is allowed by Cicero himself, who says there is not only an art, but an eloquence in it. (More)” “Be still and know that I am God; (Psalm 46:10)” Calendar wisdom for today fits the mood at our house. Sometimes words fail to express the turmoil of the heart. A young man died in a police encounter in Minneapolis, our former home, and the city erupted in demonstrations around my daughter’s old high school. We are speechless and helpless, receiving texts from friends, searching the news for reports and grieving. According to Wikipedia, Cicero too lived at the end of Rome’s glory and this quote comes from his work Brutus, tracing oratory in face of its demise.
Proverbs 27 opens with the reminder “Do not boast about tomorrow, for you do not know what a day may bring forth. Let another praise you, and not your own mouth, someone else, and not your own lips.” We do not know what today will bring, much less tomorrow. So perhaps we stand in silence before the God of the universe with our heads hanging down and our palms opened out. Others must tell our story. We are still in submission to the God of the universe who holds our lives and knows our days. We have no words sometimes and perhaps that is ok. God was there with the young man who died and God knows the big picture; we don’t. We grieve in the face of death, political chaos, editorial finger pointing, and human frailty. Guard our mouths Lord and comfort those who are grieving today for many reasons. Lord have mercy.
On the Way to Wonder 