When There Are No Words

For God alone, O my soul, wait in silence, for my hope is from him. Psalm 62:5

Today is New Year’s Eve! It is the last day of 2022! It is the day that we celebrate having made it through the year. It is the day that we look forward to welcoming a new year with great expectations and goals. Some go so far as to set New Year’s resolutions. The problem with New Year’s resolutions is that they are broken before the new year begins. The last day of the year is also a day that causes us to sit still and categorize what the year has offered in terms of good deals, promotions, weddings, proposals, friends, and family. It is also a time to reflect on that which has forever impacted our lives greatly and deeply. This year may have been financial burdens, the death of a child, irreconciliation of marriage, the death of a close friend, unresolved health issues, lack of fulfillment, loss of joy, not confronting reality, poorly made choices, wrestling with church hurt, or the deteriorating life of a parent. Just because the year ends does not mean that the highs, lows, happiness, and pains are forgotten. We have lived through these seasons, and they have become a part of our DNA.

People will often ask how you are doing. They will say, “I don’t know how you are getting through it all. How do you do what you do? I don’t think that I could do that.” Some wonder when you’re going to have that emotional snap that sends you spiraling into a dark, emotional abyss because there is the savior complex. This is the complex where people are ready to jump in and save you from yourself. Others will say that you need to give up or just quit because there is no hope. There are people who aren’t that close to you that want a lot of explanations and words when there is nothing to say.

So as I sit and look at my life in review on this New Year’s Eve, I can surmise that there have been great times with friends and family. There have been adventures that I would not trade, and laughter from the gut that could never be duplicated. There have been new friendships and the renewal of old friendships. This has been a year of finding a new and unexpected community in a state far away. Everything has not gone well this year, but everything has not been without hope. It has been a year of loss: the death of a friend’s son and the death of a dear friend, and soon the passing of a parent. But the focus can’t be on the losses, we have to think of what we have gained. In 2022, my net assets doubled in lifelong friends, community, wisdom, knowledge, self-discovery, God’s answers, healing, and discovery.

When I think of the questions that people ask or the questions that I ponder; I finally realized that the reason the questions don’t get answered is that there are no words. There are no words that give credence to an explanation. There are no words that can sufficiently encompass the depths of emotions. There are no words that take a situation and tie it up in a neat little basket. There are times when no words can offer comfort. Sometimes, we just have to deal with the resolve that there are no words, and this has to be enough. However, we can accept that there is a great calming in the stillness of silence.

As we go into the new year, we take with us the knowledge that Jesus took time to be silent. He took the time away from all of life’s distractions and interruptions. Sometimes it was not about His words, but it was about the wisdom in His silence when there were no words. Instead of wondering how we have made it through life in the past year, we give thanks that we serve a God who never leaves us to figure it out or explain it on our own. We give thanks that He does not leave us to do life alone. Remember a part of Matthew 20:28 (The Great Commission) “…And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” Let’s enter 2023 with hope, and give Him thanks in the silence when there are no words.

CrayDawg, Inc. (2022)