By Sr. Zita Dian Yuniarti
The first time I heard this “God of Silence” song was at the time I attended in the session of “appreciative inquiry”. It touched me much. It leads me to keep realizing that in the silence, there are many things provided to support my journey. The journey which is not only often decorated by happiness and joy, but also sorrow and sadness. Silence teaches me on how to present before God as authentic as possible. Sincerely letting God knows and searches me more deeply than me myself. Being with Him as who I am gradually allows me to experience finding “home”, even home sweet home. A home where I am able to rest in his embrace comfortably, however I am. He welcomes me and lets me experience the sense of to be silent.
In the silence, I look like standing in front of the mirror. He leaves me wondering as at once I discover that at the time I find me myself in the weaknesses, I am strong; I am carrying heavy burden but I am consoled; when I mourn because of losing, I am gladdened because being aware that he is my eternal own; at the time I hurt and wounded, I am healed; I am weeping, he swept away my tears; when there is sorrow, there is always joyful; at the moment I feel unloved, he keeps loving me unconditionally, and in the time of doubt and waver, he ensures me that he always be with me. Sometimes, the soul always knows what to heal itself. But the challenge is how to silence mind.
Indeed, a new insight and paradigm came to my life, that is how to be “an appreciative person”. God is always be appreciative to me. He changes negatives into the positives. He does perfectly within everyone in the silence. By experiencing the meaning of being in the silence, actually I am supposed to be more appreciative, either to me myself or others. It supports us in building better cooperation as a teamwork, because we are not only focusing on the “root cause of problem” which always negative, but also evermore “root cause of success” which always positive. We can analogize with a seed. We can’t see where/what the core of it, but the core is the most powerful potency, because as we see at flower, seed contains the elements which produces the colour, leaves, fragrance, etc.
Being an appreciative person, first of all, is being a person who have the spirit of learning. It is not separate from my daily life. It strengthens me to be better person either in the community life, interpersonal relationship, leadership especially in working collegially as a team or in the journey of my spiritual life. In these different fields, there are many opportunities to learn in order to enrich me whole life as a religious.
