I’m a talker. I love to talk, share stories, laugh. While I love to talk, I also love to listen. I think I’m a good listener and have even been known to give some wise counsel a time or two. Over the past year or so, I have been working through the idea of “talking less and listening more.” Several friends have teased me mercilessly about this… I don’t think they believe I am capable! It truly is something that I am working on. It tends to make people uncomfortable. When I sit back to just listen and not take center stage with my stories and humor, people immediately think something is wrong. As I grow older, I don’t want to be the center of attention… the one that makes people laugh. I want to really listen to others and take in the conversations around me. I want whatever comes out of my mouth to be wise and meaningful. I don’t want to leave gatherings with that feeling that I’ve said too much.
Being the talker that I am, I also love to talk to God. When I say “talk to God” I mean that I do most of the talking! I lay it all out for Him… as if He does not already know! I can’t leave out any details or ideas for solving my dilemmas. Here’s what’s going on, Lord… here are some ideas to solve it… now you take it and make it happen! I can just see Him up there shaking His head. Silly girl, I’ve already got this one taken care of.
My morning quiet time is changing up a bit. I’m working on trying to sit quietly before the Lord and let Him speak to me! Now there’s a concept! As I sit and contemplate one of my favorite scriptures, Psalm 46:10… Be still and know that I am God, I’m learning that while I know He is God, I don’t sit quietly very well. My mind goes to all kinds of places and I am once again back to solving my own problems. Our world is such a noisy place and the older I get, the harder that is for me. I long to make a difference in this world and know that I have a greater chance if I listen to the wise counsel of my Father. Be still… and know.
