Lenten Reflection Day 22

Stop. Stop what you are doing and listen. For just a moment, be still and listen. What do you hear? If you’re like most of the country and you and your family have self-quarantined, then your house is probably noisy. Children carrying on, the sound of televisions, maybe radios or tablets playing music. Continue being still. Focus on what you can hear above the noise surrounding you. If you are trained in this practice, you may have heard a call to action, a mission for the day. You might have heard some encouraging words or some challenging ones. In both instances you were able to listen by first using your sense of hearing, being able to identify auditory sounds. In the second scenario, you were able to listen with your heart, an opportunity for your soul to be opened to God in the silence, where He waits for you and I. We have a unique opportunity right now to spend more time listening. For a lot of us this lent, we have given up more than we intended. What an opportunity we have been given to further walk with Jesus in closer communion and really feel his message of sacrifice, suffering, and redemption. Most schools are closed, more people are being temporarily laid off, businesses are being shut down, the world is being put on hold. We are being given a change to slow down, take stock of what’s important, and to rest. So what are you listening to? Are you listening to your family members with greater intent? Listening to your children as they play? Listening to their laughter, their dreams, their silly stories, their questions? Listening to your spouse more earnestly? What are you listening to in your neighborhoods? Perhaps you hear more families enjoying outdoor activities together. The sounds of laughter as children are playing, reveling in the extra attention of their parents, who would ordinarily be at work. Can you hear the sounds of the birds singing in the trees or the buzzing of the bees as they go about pollinating? These sounds are simple but would have easily been ignored during the hustle and bustle of our regular routines. In the midst of our uncertainty, we have been given an extraordinary gift. Let us not waste it. Furthermore, make use of this time to cultivate the ‘listening ears’ of your heart. God wants us to find Him. Now is our chance.
CHALLENGE: Use some time, allow yourself 10 minutes, and be still. Seek Him in the quiet. Allow yourself to be open to whatever He wishes to share with you. “Blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.” Luke 11:28.

Blessings to You and Yours!