Sometimes we just need to talk. To each other. About what is needed. And we need to listen. To each other. About what is needed. And listen with ears, yes, but listen with hearts.

Listen to words and silences carefully because we cannot know what is inside someone else. We cannot anticipate what they might need.  We cannot know, really, what is important to them. Unless we ask and then listen.

From Friday morning to Monday afternoon I was part of situations rooted in people assuming they knew what someone else wanted or expected or needed.

I was on the inside of some of that assuming. I think  that it is easier for us to do what we think someone wants rather than asking them.  We like action more than conversation.

I think that it is easier to do what we think someone wants rather than asking them is because we are afraid they will ask more of us than we are willing to give. I don’t mean more action. I mean more of us, our person, our life, our pride, our desire to run things.

I think that this is one of the really hard things about God.

When we think that God is a rule-giver, we  are glad. We can do them and win points. We can ignore them and be independent. Either way, we know where we stand.

But when we think that God is a relationship-maker, it’s terrifying. We don’t know where the edges are. We are afraid that God will ask more of us than we are willing to give.

So God invades our space, becomes one of us and says, “come to me. Talk with me. Listen to me.”

It seems easier to just do what we think he wants. Or not.

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I need to take some time to do some of that listening. This is the last post here until Monday, May 23, 2011 I need a sabbatical. You do, too. Thanks for listening. See you later. Love you always.