What do you hear?

Yesterday was a day when I met with people, had wonderful conversation and had fun. Yesterday was a day when I really tried to listen. I want to share some of the wonderful things I heard.

One person told me that she" hoped too much." I said how can anyone hope too much? The conversation then went off on a path of what hope really is. Is it the kind of thing that if you haven't done something you were supposed to do, you just hope, hope, hope, it all comes out ok? Or is it something that is a result of living a certain period of time and seeing that life unfolds how it will. We can see that there is a larger plan than our own. It became clear that as a young person she was talking about the first kind. We talked about how sometimes we just wish that God would do all the work and we could just show up. We then talked about how awesome it is when we do our part and then we are able to step back and watch the story play out. Can we hope too much? I don't think so, but we are able to reflect on what that means for us.

"I have rushed all day so I could sit still". Is there anyone that is reading this that hasn't felt that way. When this was said there was an audible sigh in the room. We each knew that this was true for each of us. How much time do we spend each day rushing to somewhere, to do something, so that we can________ fill in the blank. God calls us to love our neighbor as our self, God calls us to live in the world and add to it in ways that make it a better place. God does not call us to do that all at once.

These are two of the wonderful gifts that I was given yesterday. They were not given "to" me. They were expressed in conversation, they were shared as an experience that was helpful in conversation. They became gifts to me when I was present to hear them. Sometimes when we are in conversation, do we find ourselves just waiting our turn to talk? Perhaps, you are a person that feels as though while the other person is talking you must prepare a response. There are many other ways that we miss hearing, really hearing what is being said. These two conversations became gifts because I was able to be present and hear.

In addition to hearing and being in conversation, I have been able to spend time in the last couple of hours to reflecting on these words. They have stuck with me. I have been able to think about why they stuck in my mind. The gift is my connection to the world, to God, and to myself. The gift is being open to God's grace in the many different forms it may come in today.

What gets in your way of listening to the world around you today? How would your day be different if you found yourself hearing what was said? What will your gifts be today?

Gracious God, Thank you for the blessing of this beautiful day. Thank you for the sun and the warm breeze. Thank you for the different people in our lives, known and unknown that will gift us with your grace today.

Gracious God, Help me to have open ears, an open heart and willingness to be present to you and others today. Amen