Listening

It’s been a quiet start to the new year in some respects. I (Jen) am writing the blog today because Dave is in silence. He’s not using the silent treatment (haha)…he is practicing an important discipline of listening intentionally to the Lord. Part of our training process here in Communitas involves a weeklong practice of silence. The goal is that we would discipline ourselves to listen to the Lord, to listen to the needs of people around us, to listen to the place in which we are. During that week, we speak as little as possible and we refrain from using our phones, email, TV, and other forms of amusement and “noise.” Sometimes in order to hear better, we have to turn off some of the things blaring in our ears.

So, on January 2 of this new year, I began my week of silence. Just two days after my week had finished, Dave began his. So, as I said, it has been a quiet beginning of sorts. During my week, everyone else around me was still talking, singing, shouting and otherwise making noise. Some people asked if I just couldn’t wait to speak again. Of course, I couldn’t really answer them. The funny thing was that the not-talking part wasn’t that hard for me. I like to talk and I enjoy talking with others, but I have a natural tendency to be quiet…at least compared to the group I’m in. I think what I desire is a greater boldness to say what needs to be said when it needs to be said. I read last week in Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Discipline that “if we are silent when we should speak, we are not living in the Discipline of silence. If we speak when we should be silent, we again miss the mark.”

While there are a number of things and ways the Lord spoke to me last week, I believe the big lesson for me is to seek diligently to listen to His Spirit. And as I listen, to obey His direction. To speak even if I don’t know how it will be received. To wait even when I want to move. To go even when it would be easier to stay. To be quiet when I would rather be entertained. To live out His desires when it doesn’t seem to “fit.” To love when it’s easier to ignore. I pray that all of us would have a greater ability to hear and know the Lord. May the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be pleasing in the sight of our Lord.