"People ought to listen more slowly." ~ Jean Spark Ducey
I've had a love affair with words for as far back as I can remember. A career working with the written word was the only one that I dreamed of as a child--well that and being a ballerina--but that was short-lived. (I could pull in stomach, make sure my shoulders were straight but tucking my bottom under was always a challenge. Do they realize how hard that is for black girls? Okay, I digress.) Translating my thoughts into words is like breathing. Like Snoopy, sometimes the thoughts come so fast and furious I can hardly type them out. Or sometimes, I'm scrambling for a piece of paper, the back of a receipt anything to capture the steady stream of thoughts that pour forth from like my head running water. I've had this cartoon strip cut out for decades and posted on my bulletin board to remind me that sometimes the words just don't come and that's okay.
Lately my words have been sitting quiet in my head like shy butterflies. Lots to say, but I'm feeling like God is telling me to hush a little and listen. As people, we are so often prone to running here and there listening to other people's opinions about our lives and what they think we should do...when God is standing to the side waiting for us to come to Him and get the real answer. The one that outshines them all.
So I'm not going to run from this season of listening. Instead I'm going to take heed to those gentle nudges to turn off the TV and the mp3 player and simply sit in God's presence and listen. Instead of reading a whole chapter, I can sit and meditate with a verse and really hear what God is trying to say. He's talking all the time. It's just a matter of how quiet are we to hear His still small voice.
I'm taking some time to listen more slowly. Wanna join me?
