HARSH SOUNDS
Did you know that hearing is the last sense to die? That is why it is so important when a loved one is near death that someone remain nearby to talk to him or her. Even though they cannot respond outwardly, they are conscious of the care and love being shown to them through spoken words.
The ear, however, may lose its ability to hear true and natural sounds in all their beauty when it is exposed to strange, loud, and unnatural sounds, claims Dr. John Finley Williamson, founder and president for forty years of the Westminster Choir College in Princeton, New Jersey. For this reason, Dr. Williamson journeys each summer with his students to a remote area in Nova Scotia. Every morning he takes a rowboat into the open calm of the lake where there are only natural sounds; and he remains there all day to regain the sensitivity he has lost. In time, he returns to his classroom and teaches music to his students with a reconditioned sense of hearing!
Few of us can make such a trip. Responsibilities we face simply will not allow it. But here is the principle: The harsh sounds of our mechanized society, the repetitive sounds and scenes of violence on television and move theater screens, and the noise pollution of our culture are causing many of us lose the ability to hear the voice of God properly. This is why we must make it a priority to have a “quiet time” each day. And this is why the Psalmist said, “Be still and know that the Everlasting Lord is God.”
Devotedly your pastor,
Bill Blanchard