Listening

"You aren't listening to what I'm thinking!"  Nice quote right?  Who on earth would say such a crazy thing?!  Well, I have to admit that I made that comment to Chris, but there is more to the story...and needless to say, I misspoke as this thought came out of my mouth.  However, I do wonder if there was a piece of me that really did want him to know what I was thinking. 

Typically, I have thought of myself as a good listener.  Maybe it was wishful thinking on my part, but I enjoy listening to people as they share thoughts, ideas, and life.  But, I've learned lately (it's amazing how marriage does this to us) that I need to work on my listening skills and on sharing my thoughts rather than assuming someone can read my mind.  I'm not even sure what Chris and I were talking about when I made the comment about him not listening to me, but I do remember the sheer frustration that what I was trying to communicate was not what he was hearing.  He was hearing my words in a different way than I thought I was sharing them. 

In a similar way, Chris and I have been talking about listening to God.  We attempt to live our lives the way that God wants us to, to follow His path for our lives and do the things He wants us to do.   However, it's hard to know what that is at different points in our lives.  It is very clear to me that God has me in my place of work for a reason.  I don't know exactly what that reason is, but it is clear that this is where he wants me.  Not all things are that clear in our lives.  Chris and I decided that perhaps God feels silent in our lives because we are doing all the talking and not enough listening.  Listening to God is one of the hardest things I've ever tried to do, but something that I also think is really important.  So, today we made our first attempt at listening.  We went for a walk together, but in silence the entire time.  This is so difficult for me!  I started by asking God to take away any distractions and to move my thoughts to the thing He wanted me to think about.  While I didn't hear any audible voice of God, I do think that God had things for me to hear from Him today.  And guess what, He never asked me to read His mind, but He was willing to place on my heart what is on His!  Another lesson I can learn from Him!  I hope to consistently listen to God and respond to the things He lays on my heart.  I have a hankering that one of those things is to communicate better with my husband so that I am more clearly articulating my thoughts and listening carefully to his.  

May I continue to keep my ears open!
Kari