Silent Echo
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“The Lord is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.” Habakkuk 2:20
At the cemetery, the VFW stood at attention with rifles and at the command they raised them into the air. Their commander gave the order “Fire”, and the 21-gun salute was given for my friend. The shots reverberated through the trees and the sound bounced off the building. The shots echoed for a moment through the soft gentle breeze. Then the bugler played “Taps.” The sound lingered as the flag was lifted from the casket and the military led the ceremony of folding the flag. A silence filled the air at this sacred and patriotic tribute. The flag was presented to the widow and the silence of grief overwhelmed the moment.
I had just officiated at the funeral of my friend from a former church I served. I met Bill and his son, Brent the night I moved to the parsonage. Brent was sitting on my front step waiting for me, and his dad arrived shortly after. The first thing I saw was Bill’s smile. He was known for his smile and humor. A smile is silent, but it leaves a lasting impression. Each time I think of Bill, I smile. Bill’s smile is the silent echo that will remain in my heart. It is his legacy.
An echo is a sound caused by the reflection of sound waves from a surface back to the listener. Our hearts have an echo from the love we have experienced and received from our loved ones. That echo remains within us. It is unseen, but the most powerful evidence that our loved ones lived. A silent echo is what is unspoken but is reflected forever in our lives.
Silence is part of the grief journey. The life we knew has been silenced never to return the same again. The silence of our loved one’s voice is overwhelming. The silence of love permeates the chambers of our heart. The silence is deafening when we are alone in our home and in our hearts. We wonder if the emptiness of this silence will last forever. Some of us linger in the silence longer than others. It is familiar, and it becomes natural to exist in the silent emptiness of our lives. The silence defines our empty souls.
Silence, though, is part of the healing journey. We need to silence our racing and anxious thoughts and fears and be still in the presence of God. The sadness is still present, but God’s presence holds us if we allow Him to come into our hearts and walk beside us. No words need to be spoken in the silence. Our spirit speaks to God’s spirit in sighs too deep for words. (Romans 8:26) The still silence is needed so that we can hear God speak to us, and begin living in this different life.
And then in the silence, we hear the echo of a life well lived. The echo reverberates off our life, and we live out the legacy. Many times the echo is a silent awareness. We see our loved one’s influence in the little things of life we do. We smile and remember their smile. Our faith has a foundation in our mom. Our work ethic is an echo from our dad. Our love for baking is a reflection from our grandma. The echo bounces off our lives and others hear the silent echo of those who have influenced our lives. We live out the legacy in our daily lives and actions.
So as we live into our different life, we begin to become aware of our own silent echoes. How are we influencing others in our quiet walk with God? How does our life reflect Jesus to others?
Listen to the silent echoes.
