Sometimes we just have to listen to our inner voice. There are times when we think it through and talk to ourselves rather than listening. I kind of equate that to when you are ‘listening’ to someone but really you are just waiting to speak, not really listening.
Creating the headspace to listen takes time and patience. In the Book of Revelations it says:
Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with that person, and they with me.
When and how do we discern between the voice of God, the voice of our desire or our intellect, and the voice of social expectation? I really have no concrete answer and do not hail myself as an expert, but I try to listen. Make space for silence. Work on quietening yourself. Meditate. Sit in nature and just be. Talk to God. How can we expect to hear the voice of God if we do not actively seek conversation?
Additionally, we need to make time to really listen to those we love. Sometimes, well -often, they say what they think we want to hear rather than what is in their heart. It doesn’t just take time to create the space for this conversation, it takes sacrifice. At some point we need people who are willing to give up some fleeting pleasure or familiarity to show love. We all do eventually. This gift paves the way to conversation, and when you think about it conversation is the greatest balm for our spiritual and emotional hurts.
I invite you to think of the last conversation that healed your soul and do something to connect with that human.
The Female Theologian 