One of my assignments this past week was to make time to
listen to and for God. Each week we will
be given another spiritual practice to try on so that we can remember why it is
we are in seminary. When we get
overwhelmed with all the responsibilities our lives require it is very easy to
let go of silence and quiet. “Listening”
is an exceptional tool when communicating.
And it is sometimes the most difficult thing to do! I know I can be guilty of dominating a
conversation in certain circumstances.
So it is with communication with God. It can be easy to tell God what we need,
want, failed at, the long list of people who we pray for, need forgiveness,
strength and care about and forget that prayer is a two way conversation,
too. Stopping for a time to listen to
what God has to say to us, in response to what we have said or to prompt us
toward what needs to be said or to simply tell us that we are loved beyond
measure is important to our relationship with God. Yes.
God does communicate with us in return.
How we hear God—whether a voice, a whisper, a message from another human
or animal, in nature, in any kind of emotion—is up to us. We can choose to listen further and
understand the embrace of the Holy in everyday occurrences or we can set aside
time to hear, feel and experience God’s presence.
These past few days I've paid more attention to intentional
listening. I have always felt and heard
God in my life, so to truly focus on making opportunities to listen has been interesting. I spent some time doing school reading at the
fire ring in our yard, stoking the blaze, smelling the smoke, watching and
hearing acorns drop and squirrels and chipmunks gathering them. I experienced the movement of the sun as it
dropped in the sky, changing the shadows under the trees. School buses, sirens, traffic and the sounds
of children would rise and fall. One of
our cats would meander by and look for a little attention. I’d read, but at the same time, I’d take in
all these things, thankful for the unique solitude this space provided.
Another day I cooked and baked. For me, this is can be holy time, especially
when I’m creating from the supplies in the refrigerator and cupboards: the quiet of the kitchen broken only by the
sounds of chopping and sautéing and mixing and by the smells too numerous to
mention. There is blessedness in using
our talents to bring ourselves closer to God.
For many, knowing those talents and using them to become closer to the
Holy is easy. For others, the mundane tasks of the day do not feel like talents
that can bring us closer to God. But in
the solitude of being our best, of giving of ourselves, of experiencing life,
we can often find the opportunity to listen more fully to the messages God has
for us.
We ask you, God, to listen to your children as we pray. Knowing you listen and take in all we express
is comforting. You hold us in comfort
and joy and give us all the time we need.
Help us to stop and listen to your expressions of love and joy, of plans
and expectations, of sorrow and pain, too.
Teach us how to listen in return, to hear your voice in our daily lives,
guiding us and protecting us. Amen.