Listening

The winter rain has begun to fall. My small room is surrounded by trees. I can hear the drops of water as they fall gently from leaf to leaf, and then to ground.

Listening to the world is effortless. We hear the sounds of the busy world in the voices of our family, friends, neighbors, co-workers. Some noise is necessary. Other noise is distraction.

Whether in village life, or city life, silence is precious and hard to find. The search for quiet requires effort.

But, it is in this silence that we are able to hear, and properly discern, the voice of God.

We all have the ability, and the on-going opportunity to listen to God. It takes practice, patience, and trust.

We must be certain though, that it is the voice of God we are hearing and not the cacophony of our own thoughts and desires. We must struggle to quell the inner tempest of emotions, in order to prepare space for the Sacred. This process takes great practice.

And even when we provide the space for God, it is not a visit that occurs on command. God's time is not to be measured by human convenience. Patience is necessary.

The voice of God, when it is heard, is a deeply personal experience. World wars have been fought in misguided attempts to claim ownership over the language of God. Ionesco may well have been correct when he surmised that "philology leads to calamity."

There is no one experience or definition for He whose Name is so holy that It cannot be named, or quantified.

Certainly, there are tools that can aid us in our yearning to be One. Silence, sacred scripture, nature, chores, work on behalf of others, structured prayer; all can help us to become more receptive to God's voice living all around us.

We listen trustingly. We trust that which we hear is that which must be heard.

In fairness, building such trust may require a lifetime. But, we strive to listen nevertheless. We can't help ourselves. Like the earth receiving the falling rain, we long to hear the gentle notes of God's love.