Listening and Patience
Practicing Patience with Others
Reflection By Robbin Brent
Silence is God’s first language.
- St. John of the Cross
Silence is not simply the absence of talking. It is opening the ears of the heart in order to hear what God is whispering to us. All we need is patience and a desire to deeply listen to what the Spirit is saying to each of us as God’s beloved. Being patient with ourselves as we grow in our ability to listen with the expectation that we will hear God in the silence is a gift we can offer, not only to ourselves, but to those with whom we are close.
In a season filled with noise and busyness, silence can be an oasis where we join our longings and prayers with God’s longings and prayers for us. As Psalm 46:10 says, “be still and know that I am God.” But in order to get better at listening for God in the silence, we need to practice.
Today we invite you to try this simple practice as one way for deepening silence. Several times a day simply stop what you are doing and pay attention to everything in your environment. Simply notice and then listen for the silence beneath the sounds. Even a few moments of silence can yield much spiritual fruit. When you feel complete, you might want to offer a simple prayer of thanksgiving. Over time this practice can grow our ability to hear God in the silence.
Making It Personal: As you try this simple practice, note if it helps you to become more aware of God’s loving presence. What might get in your way of valuing silence as a part of your day? Is there another practice for deepening silence you would like to try during Advent?
TO JOIN OUR PRIVATE FACEBOOK DISCUSSION GROUP FOR ADVENT, CLICK THE BUTTON BELOW:
Follow along with us this Advent season with our daily devotional and engage in discussion in our closed facebook group moderated by Robbin Brent, Carolyn Karl, Jan Kwiatowski, and Scott Stoner.
In this group, participants will have a chance to share their responses to the prompts in the daily readings, and also the chance to receive additional material for reflection.