Sometimes what we need to do is listen. We spend a lot of time talking, thinking of what to say, and reflecting on where we want the conversation to go. Often, we don’t do an important step. Listening. In our everyday conversations but also in prayer. I myself struggle with this, talking much more than I listen and many times, the listening is rare. It’s a flaw of mine and not one I am proud of but one I am working on. It’s difficult though because we all want to be heard and listening requires a bit of humility.
There’s a saying, a proverb I believe. “You have one mouth and two ears so you should listen twice as much as you talk.” Why is listening so hard? I think much of it involves us turning off our brains to stop analyzing, planning, thinking and instead just hearing and appreciating. It means slowing down, which we have mentioned before, is very difficult. It means sitting still mentally and emotionally, taking the time to take in the tone of voice, the body language, the posture and gestures. it really is a skill to truly listen to someone and unfortunately we just don’t have the time to practice.
While listening to humans can be challenging and requires a bit of time and practice, listening to God is less demanding. I believe listening to God just requires that stillness of mind and heart. It can also be encouraged with a prayer, “God open my mind and heart to hear your voice. Grant me stillness.” Then there is the action. Actually being still, eyes closed and ears open. This can help with visual distractions but also helps with turning our attention inward. This is also not easy but I would offer that maybe 5-10 minutes a day of quiet sitting is a good place to start.
These days, I find myself growing a little weary. Maybe it’s time to change gears a little and spend time being still and silent instead of moving. I’m also working on taking a breath before I respond to someone. This is my attempt to take time to be listening. I find myself blurting a response, likely one that I had prepared while they were speaking and therefore really wasn’t listening that well. I’m going to be starting this time alone to see where it leads. Maybe God will open some new doors. “Be still before the Lord and wait patiently for Him.” (Ps 37:7)
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