Though Silent, He Speaks

My sister walked through a cemetery recently and came across this phrase etched in stone: “Dum Tacet Clamat.” She was so intrigued that she researched the Latin and discovered that it means, “Though silent, he speaks.”

When she shared this with me, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I mulled it over, those four words speaking volumes to my heart. Finally, I came to the conclusion that I want my life to reflect those words. I want it to be said that even when I didn’t utter a word, I spoke.

If someone were reading the story of my life, what would it say? Would the pages be filled with selfless giving or selfish ambition? Would the chapters tell of a woman after God’s heart who loved others without qualification or would they tell a tale of aloofness and a self-centered heart? Would Christ be woven through every thought and action? When someone looked, did they see Christ in me?

So, today, I ask myself: Do my actions scream love and acceptance or do they yell contempt and discord? I’ve heard it said before that we may be the only Bible that some ever read. That is deeply convicting for me. What kind of representation of God am I?

A hundred years down the road, when I’m long gone, will I still speak? Will the legacy I leave be one of the Father’s unending love? If my life is the only opportunity for others to learn of Christ and the Lord’s sacrifice for our sins, will my life tell the story?

John 13:35 says, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another.”

What does your life say about you? If you didn’t speak another word, what would you say? When others look at you and your life, do they know you love Christ? Though silent, may all of our lives speak of the love of Jesus and of His grace, mercy, redemption, and forgiveness.