Bright lights, loud noises and the fair

By Mike Gilland

I attended a county fair several years back with my wife and children. It was a great experience and a lot of fun for us all! As we entered the midway, there was no missing the aroma of the food being sold (everything from hot dogs to elephant ears!), the bright lights, the screams of delight (and sometimes fear!) from some of the rides, and…well, the noise.

Lots of noise.

After a while, it became apparent to me that one can experience a sensory overload in places like these. With all the fun and new experiences that await, a carnival or a fair can be downright overwhelming to our senses! It wasn’t until we were walking to our car in a distant parking lot that I became aware of the abatement of the noise. Finally, as we got into the car and I shut the door, I was amazed at the sense of quiet. The noise was gone.

It is one thing to walk away from the noise in a physical sense, like walking away from the fair. It is quite another to walk away from the noise inside our minds and hearts. The noise of the soul is the hardest to quell.

David offers great advice to those of us who are going through a time in our lives where everything seems a bit overwhelming. In Psalm 131, he writes:

1 O Lord, my heart is not lifted up;

my eyes are not raised too high;

I do not occupy myself with things

too great and too marvelous for me.

2 But I have calmed and quieted my soul,

like a weaned child with its mother;

like a weaned child is my soul within me.

3 O Israel, hope in the Lord

from this time forth and forevermore.

--Psalm 131;1-3 ESV

The world is like that fair. We can be enamored by the lights, by the sounds, by the activities, by the color of this life. But in the midst of all the noise is the truth that we need to learn what David learned - to quiet our soul, and listen to the ever-present still, small voice of God…calling us to come to Him.

Mike Gilland is Operations Manager for The Shepherd Radio Network, a group of radio stations in Florida that features the “Christian Teach/Talk” format. Mike hosts a daily talk radio show in the 2 PM hour called “Afternoons with Mike”, talking to local pastors and newsmakers. In Orlando, The Shepherd is heard on WIWA, AM 1270. In addition to his broadcast experience, Mike spent 36 years in full-time ministry as a pastor and worship leader. As a guitarist, Mike performs at concerts, restaurants, private parties, etc. He is married to Cindy, the father of four grown children and grandfather to seven grandchildren.