Part 3: Remaining Without Explanation
Part 3 of 7 in the Learning to Stay Series
When nearness gives way to hiddenness, the soul begins to ache for explanation. Silence can be endured for a time, but silence without meaning unsettles more deeply. Something in us wants to know what is happening, why it is happening, and what it requires in response. We search for language that will stabilize what feels unsteady.
This desire is not malicious. It is born from the need to orient oneself before God. Yet it can quietly become a condition placed upon faith, as though remaining were only possible once the silence has been interpreted and justified. The soul waits for understanding before it consents to stay.
God does not always grant this understanding. There are seasons when He withholds not only consolation, but explanation as well. Prayer continues, the life of the Church continues, obedience remains possible, yet the interior narrative falls away. The soul is no longer told what this moment means.
This is where remaining becomes costly.
