Background noise
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) -- A big trend among many people who find themselves desperately needing a better night's sleep is the use of “white noise.”
White noise is background noise, which can include anything from the sound of ocean waves to peaceful music meant to help people calm their minds and drift into peaceful slumber. I confess that I have used background noise to help me get to sleep, especially after a long and busy day. My favorite background noise is rain sounds. I now just have to say to the device by my bed, “Alexa, play rain sounds,” and gentle, wispy sounds of falling rain begin to lull me to sleep.
Because my device is right by my bed, I often have to adjust the sound: “Alexa, volume two,” or “Alexa, volume one.” This helps ensure the background noise truly stays in the background and doesn’t become distracting.
One night, I was so tired that I simply activated the rain sounds and fell asleep quickly. I woke up a couple of hours later to what sounded like a train coming through the room. The volume either had not been adjusted or it reset while I was asleep. Either way, the noise was now the focus of everything happening on that otherwise quiet night. I was so tired and annoyed by being awakened by the sound that I shouted, “Alexa, off!”
Our world is full of background noises. These include political bickering, advertisers going after our business and just plain busyness. We cannot help but be distracted now and then by these noises, which are often anything but relaxing. Just like the relaxing noises, the raucous noises can become so loud that they disturb, interrupt and distract us from more important things.
At those times, it is helpful to pull away from the noise and find a place to refresh and restart. The Bible says there is no better way to do that than by drawing near to God. Prayer, meditation, worship and reading the Bible are all ways we can drown out the distracting background noises and find peace.
“Draw near to God, and God will draw near to you,” according to James 4:8. God is always seeking us out to replace our chaos with peace. Sometimes, though, we have to pull away from the background noise, especially on days when it seems to be overwhelming, and intentionally seek to be reminded of the voice and ways of God. Keep the background noise in the proper place: the background.
