“The LORD will fight for you; you need only to be still.”

EXODUS 14:14 (NIV)

An hour on the road might feel like wasted time to some people, but for me, it has become one of the most important spaces in my life. No meetings. No constant noise. Just me, the open highway, and the thoughts that rise when the world finally gets quiet.

When I originally moved back to Milwaukee from Madison, the drive was one thing I felt increased apprehension about. I’d put more miles on my car. I’d have to drive during the wintertime. And most importantly, I’d be making this drive alone—every single day.

Then I realized something when it started. The drive to work had become one of the few parts of my day where life slowed down.

That day, the highway stretched open ahead of me, the light just starting to rise over the fields near Delafield. Being a brisk morning, I had the heat on to warm me up, and for once, I didn’t reach for the radio to turn up the noise. I just let silence fill the space.

In that silence, I wrestled with questions I didn’t want to ask out loud. I replayed hard conversations. I celebrated quiet victories. I sat with God—not always with words, but with openness. And more often than not, that silence spoke back to me. Not in some booming voice, but in clarity. In perspective. In peace, I didn’t realize I needed.

In these same kinds of moments in the past, I’ve gotten answers to questions, guidance for next steps, bold ideas to write books, and assurance that I was on the right path. These mile markers, as I call them, have become transformational. Have you ever sat in silence with expectation? Without interruption? With a moment that simply demanded your attention?

What I’ve come to understand is that silence isn’t empty. Silence is full. It gives room for reflection. It makes space for lessons that keeps us from seeing. It reminds you that stillness is not wasted time. It’s preparation.

Those drives taught me that silence is a teacher if you’re willing to listen. It doesn’t erase the noise of life, but it gives you a different way to face it. And sometimes the greatest strength comes not from the words we speak, but from the stillness we allow ourselves to sit in.

Silence is not empty. It is full of lessons busyness tries to hide.

Keep moving forward,

Dr. Key