When my girls were little and we were at the park, I would tell them to close their eyes. Listen for the sounds you don't hear when your eyes are open. For me, it was the splash of water from the ponds water fountain, the sounds of cars in the distance, and the flipping of skateboards as young kids took advantage of the day, and the birds in the air.
The fountain grass next to me danced in the wind and it's plumes soft to the touch.
I picked up the book Whisper: How to Hear the Voice of God. Closing my eyes with my face to the sun, is a perfect time for a conversation with Him.
Familiar with hearing the voice of God a few times in my life, it wasn't until my later years that I learned to ask. That's when I would hear it. It isn't an imagination or my own thoughts in my head, sometimes it's days and weeks, and when I least expect it, there He is. I have even heard an audible answer a couple of times without asking. God will speak when He wants, but I do believe it is for us to ask when it's our hearts desire to hear from Him.
Make time for the quiet moments
as God whispers and the world is loud.
Hung on my wall, a gift from my dear friend Karen many years ago, whom I am so excited to go see in a couple weeks.
A whisper is gentle, but nothing more powerful. You have to lean in to hear it, you also have to be quiet in order to hear Him.
There is an art to being quiet. It makes me laugh, I used to use being quiet as a weapon in warfare. People are uncomfortable when it's quiet, so they fill the silence with constant chatter. I guess this technique is used in business by other cultures.
The more I want to learn about another person and hear what they have to say, the quieter I become. The more they talk, the more I learn.
I have always found my balance in the quiet. Turning the white noise of television and the radio off and opening the windows of my home. I can take an 8-hour car ride and never touch the radio. Being in nature, I crave it and it restores my soul.
I needed the park today. To close my eyes and feel the sun on my skin.
As many clouds were overhead, not a single cloud blocked my sunshine. That's because God and I spent some time together.
