Listening

I've been wanting to write for 2 days now, but time was not cooperating. I need to come up with some structure to my weekdays so that I'm not so scattered.

I've had all sorts of ideas running around in my head, but can't manage to get any of them to come into focus. As a result, this may turn into a very random entry.

One thing that's been brewing is the idea of listening. I don't mean listening in a physical sense, though.

When we listen with our physical ears, it can be very difficult because there can be so many different things bombarding our sense of hearing. We have to tune out the extraneous sounds and focus on the one thing that we're trying to listen to at any given time. Somehow, though, it manages to get done on a regular enough basis so as to keep a household functioning, or to get work done at our jobs.

What can sometimes happen in this is the inadvertent tuning out of what we need to hear the most -- that still small voice that gives us guidance. This is the voice that isn't heard with our ears, but rather in our heart. It's the gentle leading to call a friend to whom we haven't spoken for a long time, or to drop everything and fall to our knees in prayer. It's the sound, if you will, that we put off listening to at the time, telling ourselves we'll take care of it later.

The problem is, later very rarely comes. And when it does, the sense of importance has been so diminished as to stir another voice. This is the voice that we use to tell ourselves it wasn't that important in the first place; that it doesn't matter and we'll do it the next time our heart tells us to.

Let me encourage you to listen to this heart-voice as closely as you listen to your child telling you about the butterfly they just saw. It's God's voice calling to you. When you listen, no matter how insignificant what you're hearing may seem, know that responding puts you in His arms and will bless you more than you can imagine.

Sort of like what I've just done here. When I began, I had no real focus, but I listened to my heart-voice. Not only has typing this been a blessing to me, I hope it's a blessing to all who read it. I know it's a blessing to God because I followed what he would have to do at this moment in time.

"My child, listen to what I say, and treasure my commands." Prov 2:1 (NLT)