Listening is an essential quality of spiritual life.
There have been times when I thought talking demonstrated how smart, how wise, how spiritual, I was. I filled the air with the sound of words. The pauses in my flow of words were opportunities to think of what to say next. I was focused on framing my next question or insight, not listening to what someone else was saying.
Spiritual life changed me when I began to appreciate the value of listening.
It began for me by recognizing the power of listening to the deep spiritual truths in the world. Taking time to pause and listen to the sacred in the silence became a practice, then a habit. The greatest challenge was finding ways to quiet, or ignore, the voices of distraction within me.
There is wisdom in silence. We can listen as we breathe, letting go of the anxieties and fear, regrets and insecurities that scream for our attention. Walking or sitting, we listen as spiritual life flows in us.
As we learn to listen, we become better at listening to ourselves. We learn not to allow our thinking to block out the deeply intuitive truths we recognize in ourselves. We listen to our true deep selves, experiencing beauty and truth and joy we may have missed. We get to know ourselves better. We appreciate who we really are. We find potential in ourselves we have not found before.
We also are able to listen to other people more clearly. People notice that we take time to listen. The people around us are hungry for someone who will listen to them. Our listening helps bring out the best in them.
How do you listen to spiritual life?
When do you pause to listen to the sacred truths in the silence?
[Image by cliff1066™]
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