I sat with him and listened – a little child, and I wondered where the conversation was going when the Spirit nudged me to pay attention. Mildly rebuked, I paid attention and I saw. I heard the joy. I saw the Divine. This was holy ground. I nearly missed it. But there He was, showing up again, faithfully as ever, unmistakably drawing me into God-space.
Listening to the Divine in conversations is a holy practice. When I listen to another with a keen awareness that I am listening for God’s voice in that space, then at such times, I can only graciously receive the surprises that come with the tangible yet gentle whisper of the Spirit. The beauty here is that what I hear may be unexpected, entirely beyond my expectations, and indeed above all my assumptions and presumptions. This is the divine word of God made flesh for me to not only listen and understand but also hold and experience.
In the space where I listen to image-bearers of God, I have experienced the awesome presence of God. Why does He fill that space? What welcomes the Spirit into such a space? How does an uncannily simple-looking conversation become holy and transcend the mundane? How does that happen? I cannot provide answers to all of my wonderings. But isn’t that the answer – that it is a mystery? When I let loose and acknowledge that it is all a mystery and take off my hands of control, something happens there. When I pray, ‘Lord, come,’ He comes. He enters and He fills. He surrounds, He envelops. He brings tears. He touches the soul like no one else can. This happens when I step back and listen without judgment, without preconceived assumptions about the person to whom I am listening.
So this New Year, I invite you to listen – Listen deeply, Listen well to the world around you.
Parents to children
Friends to friends
Employers to employees
Children to parents
People to nature
It is beautiful. It gives rise to community. It builds friendships. We become relational.
So come.
Enter.
Yield.
Receive the mystery,
Of the one who loves –
Deeply,
Unconditionally,
Faithfully,
As you listen
To one another
With a childlike heart.
Originally published on Companioning center
Photo by SUNIL : https://www.pexels.com/photo/close-up-photo-of-a-boy-covering-his-face-13208351/
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