It all started with an imaging exercise we did at a church leadership event. I was to imagine walking from my home, to a park and from there a wooded path to a clearing. I was to visualize sitting in a comfortable place in the clearing and then imagine that Jesus joined me. I visualized it all…the park, the path, the beautiful clearing…me sitting there and then Jesus arriving. He looked a little like Kevin Costner did a few years ago. What can I say, my Jesus is cute.
In my imagining, I was eager to talk to him. I had questions to ask, issues to share, bones to pick. Every time in this exercise that I opened my mouth my Jesus told me to hush. He did it in a nice Jesus/Kevin Costner kind of way. I’d say, “But Jesus…” “Shh, Cindy.” “But…” “Shhh”
Finally, I stopped talking and just sat with him. It became pleasant after a while. No words, nothing…just silence and the two of us sitting there together.
The visioning exercise surprised me, after all, I was the one doing the visioning, why was I imagining silence when I wanted so badly to talk?
I don’t know. All I do know is that visioning exercise ushered in a season of shhh in my life. A season where I have been called to be quiet; to be still; to be; to heal; to wait. I have tried to honor that. But, honestly, being quiet is tough. I keep wanting to write something, tweet something, text something. I’m a pastor in love with words…I love to write them, speak them, journal them. I had speaking engagements that I cancelled because I felt so strongly that I needed to hush.
Only now do I feel the stirrings that perhaps it is okay to say a little something. What I want to say is only that shhhh is not all that bad. Maybe a season of shhhh is a good counter to the overload of life and communication as we know it.
Feeling overwhelmed? Feeling stretched? Try shhhh.
Dr. Cindy Ryan 
Not easy nor is it at all natural for me to not be talking, but…you are a pretty incredible mentor, so I will consider this. Sounds like a good Lenten thing. Thank you forsharing.