What are you listening to at this moment?
Me?
- Steady rain pelting the windows
- Thunder pealing
- Fingers tapping madly away on a keyboard
- George Winston’s “The Cries of the Wetland 2”
- Tires playing in puddles
- And okay, and the occasional slurping of coffee
Notice I chose the word listening instead of hearing, which is the simple the act of perceiving sound by the ear. Unless you’re hearing-impaired, hearing simply happens. Listening, however, requires a pause – a decision to concentrate.
I encourage you to set aside one minute today. Simply listen. Soak it in. Pay attention.
Let’s take in the melodies of life, nature, and even man-made devices and turn them into opportunities for pause and praise.
Lately my listening time seems to be at night after I'm supposed to be asleep, but I shouldn't complain. At least I have time to listen. 🙂
True! Soon you'll be hearing a whole new and delightful set of sounds. 🙂
I loved this post! You ask what I'm listening to, a song called "I'm Still Amazed!" It talks about the fact that we're still amazed at the fact that Christ went to calvary…and we didn't have to! Thank you for this post! Love you, sweet friend!
Thanks for sharing, Jamie! I love that song, too. 🙂
Stopping to listen slows me down, in a good way. Today I listened to the rain and thunder, which put me in awe of God. The other day it was with a new neighbor of mine who was longely needed someone to talk to. I was blessed both times.
Me too, Ellen. Listening to others, especially those who are lonely, is one of the greatest gifts we can give to another. That's another blog post! 🙂 Thanks for sharing…
It sure is. It may not feel like we're "doing" anything, but listening builds relationships and that's certainly doing something important.
You nailed it, Ellen. Sometimes we forget the importance of "being" because of the pressure found in the "doing".
I love this…but then, I love silence. I wish I could teach my child this because he loves TV and music and noise all the time. Thanks for the reminder, Cathy…you made me pause and just listen!
Great reminder to pay attention, not just let the words sail between your ears. (Reminds me of when my kids were teenagers!)
Thanks, Cathy!!
Thanks for sharing Deb and Susan. 🙂 Silence is a favorite of mine too, Deb.