Listen Up

From Sacred Prayer … As I talk to Jesus, may I also learn to be still and listen. I picture the gentleness in His eyes and the smile full of love as He gazes on me. I can be totally honest with Jesus as I tell Him of my worries and my cares. I will open up my heart to Him as I tell Him of my fears and my doubts. I will ask Him to help me place myself fully in his care, to abandon myself to Him, knowing that He always wants what is best for me.

Listening to a silent voice is not at all easy. We pray to God and His son, but neither one answers back in a way that we can hear. But we feel more peaceful when we pray, because we believe. That in itself is a pure marvel to people who don’t have a calming relationship with God.

Listening to the self is hard in a different way. Perhaps we listen too much. My doubts are often what drive my prayers … I admit that I can still feel the stress of situations at work and at home, even as I pray more. I do all I can to keep a peaceful heart, to take each day as it comes. But still there can be palpable fear that creeps in on silent paths, especially when day is done and the mind turns in on itself.

My wife reads at night, always a spiritual reading before bed. I am more of a morning spiritualist, starting my day by getting inspiration and sharing it in writings. But she may in fact have the better answer … that evening calming may help me abandon myself to Him more deeply. It may be that it is at night when we are at our most vulnerable, and can be still and listen, truly listen, with a more discerning ear.