Lent day 23

greetings!

a friend sent me the following as a reflection on yesterday's entry...

thank you donald...

"from angry conversations with god...

a conversation between a counselor and a counselee:

rudy: it’s a horrifying gift to see yourself as you really are.

susan: i got the horrifying part. what’s the gift?

rudy: you know how much god loves you. not because you’re good, but because you’re his. and now you know what you need to change. [page 220]

excellent...

today i was reflecting on something my friend M.E. said last night in his testimony...

at his gradualtion from his six-month sobriety program at the salvation army...

he said one of the most important things he learned in the program was to "shut up and listen..."

great wisdom...

part of my journey over the past four years has dealt with the wisdom of listening...

the old two ears one mouth parable...

guess god knew what he was doing...

i love what nouwen says...

"to listen is very hard, because it asks of us so much interior stability that we no longer need to prove ourselves by speeches, arguments, statements or declarations...

true listeners no longer have an inner need to make their presence known...

they are free to receive, to welcome, to accept...

listening is much more than allowing another to talk while waiting for a chance to respond...

listening is paying full attention to others and welcoming them into our very beings...

the beauty of listening is that, those who are listened to start feeling accepted, start taking their words more seriously and discovering their own true selves...

listening is a form of spiritual hospitality by which you invite strangers to become friends, to get to know their inner selves more fully and even to dare to be silent with you..."

here's a haunting thought...

how many people do you know "who dare to be silent with you"???

thank you nancy!

i remember the story of the desert father who was hosting a very important religious leader from rome...

the entire time the religious luminary was visiting in the community, the old desert father said absolutely nothing...

he remained silent...

when the dignatary left and returned to rome, some of the younger monks in the community were indignant...

why didn't you edify the important visitor from rome with your wise conversation?

the old sage simply said...

if he was not edified by my silence, there is no chance he would have been edified by my much-speaking...

wish i was that wise...

i think it is proverbs that reminds us that it is better to keep our mouths closed and let people wonder about our wisdom, than to open our lips and confirm to all who listen that we really are fools...

'nuff said...

good night...

guy