It is impossible to habitually spend time in silence and not know yourself. I think much of the world numbs out through constant noise and distraction to keep from going deep within. I know I did this with my busyness.
The older I get, I’m learning a light touch is better than a hammer. Especially when it comes to matters of the heart and how I relate to others. Approaching difficult situations by sheer willpower fails me and I believe there must be a Higher Power which helps me. I think of that power as the grace of God.
We have difficulty understanding God’s omnipotence and omniscience respects our freedom. In the core of our being we remain free to accept or reject God’s action in our lives. This includes the level of its intensity. God wants us to accept him with all our ‘heart, soul, mind, and strength’—in other words, as intensely as possible. But he also knows that we are burdened with selfishness and have evil and impure tendencies, so it takes a great effort on our part to correspond to his grace.