Silencing the Sky

Jeffrey Thayne

About a month ago, some friends of mine invited me to go stargazing with them. The spot they chose was Squaw Peak, which in this context refers to a parking lot on the top of a mountain that overlooks Utah Valley, which has been stigmatized as a popular make-out spot. I think the hope was that the elevation would allow us to see more stars than we could if we were in the valley. Sadly, the sea of city lights in the valley below us muted the light of the stars. In fact, the stars were dim enough that the city lights were more interesting to look at than the sky. This isn’t to say the trip was a loss. Rather, the seven of us had fun talking, laughing, giggling, and just enjoying each others company as we gazed out over the valley. And, at some point, I separated myself from the group, and just sat by myself and stared at the city lights.

I would like to share some of the thoughts that I had that night as I looked across the valley and at the night sky. First, I thought of an experience that Elijah had while near the top of a mountain. God told Eli to “go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord.” While there, “a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks … but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” God spoke to Elijah not through wind, earthquake, or fire, but through a small voice.

As I thought of Elijah’s experience, I noticed that the stars above me were like a still, small voice. They were unimposing. They didn’t grab my attention in the same way that the flickering, moving, and sometimes blinking lights in the valley did. They were small. They were a witness of God’s presence. But they didn’t force my attention in any way. Unless I deliberately fixed my attention onto the sky, my eyes were naturally drawn to the brighter, more dazzling display of lights in the valley. The voice of God’s Spirit is much the same way. Mormon referred to the Spirit as “a still voice of perfect mildness, as if it [were] a whisper.” Elder Boyd Packer taught that “the Spirit does not get our attention by shouting or shaking us with a heavy hand. Rather it whispers. It caresses so gently that if we are preoccupied we may not feel it at all.” The stars in the night sky are precisely the same way.

I wondered to myself, “Have man-made distractions muted the voice of the Spirit in my life, just as these city lights have muted the stars?” I thought of all the TV shows I’d watched on Netflix and Hulu over the past week. I thought of all music I had just downloaded and put onto my iPod. I thought of all the arguments I had recently had on Facebook about politics. I thought of the hours I had spent watching YouTube videos. I thought of the hours I had spent reading blogs, responding to comments, and perusing internet comics. I decided that the answer to my question was yes, man-made distractions have indeed muted the voice of the Spirit in my life.

I have an addiction to media. Whether it be re-runs of Firefly, new episodes of Phineas and Ferb, old episodes of Bones, or the season premiere of White Collar, I’m easily distracted by TV. Whether it be XKCD, You Tube, Facebook, io9, or even a blog as innocuous as the Millennial Star, I’m easily distracted by the internet. Whether it be over Mitt Romney’s recent decision to run for president, or the recent round of immigration debates, or the shenanigans of the Elk Ridge city council, I’m easily distracted by politics. You may have different weaknesses than I do. However, this is my vice, and I don’t fully know how to deal with it.

I often hear in Sacrament meetings, Sunday School, and other church activities about the importance of choosing good media. While I’m certainly not perfect in this regards, I’m fairly sure most of the media I consume is relatively innocuous (with some notable exceptions). My problem is not a failure to choose good media. Rather, I need to choose less media. I agree with what Elder Scott Whiting (an area seventy) said at a devotional address at BYU-Hawaii: “We must not only avoid the base and degrading content some sources contain, but we must also recognize when electronic distractions keep us from quieter, more significant uses of our time. We must guard against becoming so attached to digital devices that we become detached from God.”

Yes, there is a lot of bad media out there (more than we’re willing to admit), but there is also a lot of good media. In fact, I believe there are enough good TV shows and movies to fill up our days completely. And that’s the problem. I can fill up all my spare time with good media, and that leaves no time to commune with God, serve my neighbors, or share the Gospel. Elder Richard G. Scott was right when he said, “When things of the world crowd in, all too often the wrong things take highest priority. … Satan has a powerful tool to use against good people. It is distraction. He would have good people fill life with ‘good things’ so there is no room for the essential ones.”

If my friends and I really wanted to see the night sky, and to behold the splendor and majesty that the starry heavens can communicate, we needed to leave the city lights behind. As long as they are within view, they inevitably crowd out the stars and silence the sky. In the same way, Elder Neil Anderson said, “In today’s world we must provide [for ourselves] quiet, reflective times … to listen to the still, small voice. With all the blessings our modern age has given to us, let us not give up the things that promote the workings of the Holy Ghost: time alone to pray, ponder, meditate, and read the scriptures; and time with family undisturbed by noise, distractions, and too many activities.” I know I could do better at this.

I’ve felt the sense of humility, awe, and wonderment that comes with seeing the stars, undistracted by man-made lights. I believe that we can experience the same humility, awe, wonderment, and sense of crystal clarity when we distance ourselves from the noise and distractions of the media and attune ourselves to the voice of the Spirit. The still, small voice is quiet, and most of the time it can only be heard if we are sufficiently attentive to it. I want to improve my relationship with Christ. I’m certainly giving myself plenty of reasons to rely on the atonement. But until I am ready and willing to receive constant companionship from the Holy Ghost, my relationship with Christ will never grow to what it could be. I’m going to commit to spending less time distracting myself, and more time each day listening for communications from God. It will be hard, and I invite each of my friends to help me. We all have our own vices, and this one may not be yours. But I could sure use some help.

3 thoughts on “Silencing the Sky

  1. Jeff T, your concern is common among those of us who spend a lot of time socializing and commenting on the internet. I ponder the same questions you do all the time, practically every day in fact. I’ve come to the conclusion that half of the time is positive, the other half negative. So, my goal is to increase the positive time and decrease the negative time. There are very useful, positive things you can do in writing down your thoughts and sharing them with others. You can help strengthen the testimonies of people, help them cope with difficulties, give them something new to think about. Personally, I think I am doing a lot of good work on the political end (although many, many people disagree). Bottom line: make sure you have time every day for yourself and if you have a family make sure you take time every day to be with them and really be present in the moment. Then if you blog for an hour or so a day, make sure it is positive.

  2. I’ve heard this analogy before actually. It’s a great one. It’s truly a great and terrible thing when we let tiny things close to us block out the great revelations from God. Thinking about how a tiny streetlight and block out the light of a massive star several times the size of the planet is interesting. The only difference is which light you’re closer to and which light you focus your gaze on. Both Satan and the natural man can do such seemingly small things that block out the light of Him who created the universe(s).

  3. I don’t have internet at home except on my phone. That helps, because I’m not about to make long-winded internet posts even on a smartphone. I also don’t have cable, watching mostly movies and the VERY few decent shows on public TV. That also helps.

    But most of all, I have found that it helps to actually schedule quiet time. My busy schedule interferes, so I make it part of my busy schedule.

Comments are closed.