Thursday, June 13, 2013

Five Minute Friday: Listen

Five Minute FridayWe write for five minutes flat. All on the same prompt that she posts here at 1 minute past midnight EST ever Friday. And we connect on Twitter with the hashtag #FiveMinuteFriday (which I totally missed this week – eek!) No extreme editing; no worrying about perfect grammar, font, or punctuation. Unscripted. Unedited. Real.

This Week: Listen

Go

Listen to me.
I’m constantly saying that.
Please listen to me.
Drives me bat you-know-what-crazy when people don’t listen to me.

Whether it’s my husband (babe, is there butter in this oatmeal?)
My daughter (please stop saying that, touching that, picking that …)
Customers on the phone (your computer name – yeah – that thing we ask you for every. single. time. You call and ask for help. “hello, IT, have you tried turning it off and on again?)
A new doctor (oh, don’t even get me started on this one)

Listening. It’s such a learned skill. It really is. And as much as I long for it. Crave it. Dream about it. I sometimes wonder if God’s not up there looking down at me thinking some of those very same things.

Like ...

Photo by jeltovski
Hello daughter. Would you please turn everything off for just one moment – maybe more – and just listen to Me. My dear child – so caught up in trying to juggle all those balls and plates or whatever it is you think you need to keep up in the air. I’d like for you to take a time out and just let everything drop – and realize that they’re not really going to drop. They’ll still be there. And you’ll just take a moment and listen.

Because I don’t want to have to be that great big rushing wind that you’re sometimes asking for.
I don’t want to have to be the crashing lightning storm.
I don’t want to have to be the earth-shaking event that rocks the world.

I just want to be
that conversation that you’re having first thing in the morning;
maybe right after your cup of tea before things kick into high gear at the office.
I’d like to be there for that moment when you
step outside and take a breath of fresh air;
I want to have that time with you.
Where you can just take a moment,
and listen to Me,
and all the amazing things I have to say to you.
Things I know you need to hear
Because you’re running so hard and so long;
Trying to do all the right things for all the right reasons.
So take a moment child of mine,
And listen to Me.
Be still.
Know that I am God.
Feel my love.
Hear my heart.

Wow.
He just amazed me again.

So this is for me – and for anyone else who is
“trying to do all the right things for all the right reasons.”
He loves you.
Stop a moment and listen so He can tell you too.

Stop

How to Join:
Want to know how Five Minute Friday got started and how to participate? All the details are here. No editing or second guessing. And then absolutely, no ifs, ands or buts about it, you need to visit the person who linked up before you & encourage them in their comments. Seriously. That is the rule. And the fun. And the heart of this community

16 comments :

  1. Wow, I got chills reading your beautiful post. Thank you - it was just what I needed to hear. So many times I worry about my husband and son not listening to me that I forget to listen to my Beloved Father and allow him to calm me.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patty - thank you for stopping by. I'm glad God had a moment to calm you and give you His love. Have a blessed weekend.

      Delete
  2. Love it! I live this post every day and am so thankful he still speaks even when I am not listening. He is so good to draw us to himself...time and time again.

    Visiting from FMF! So I glad to be here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yay for FMF! Such a wonderful community - bless you for stopping by. He is SO good - Amen to that.

      Delete
  3. Yes! This is one of the reasons that I've been MIA so much. Needing that margin to do what really matters so I can say/write/do what He's called me to. It gets a lot more messy when I haven't been listening. So glad to be back and to reconnect with you here!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm so glad you've had your time - doing what matters so you can write about what matters. So good to connect with you again. Have a blessed weekend.

      Delete
  4. Oh this is so good. I needed this tonight, as there are so many voices vying for my attention. Blessings!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hello Barbie! I want to stop by for real coffee sometime. Thank you for your encouragement.

      Delete
  5. Thanks for sharing this conversation between you and the Lover of your soul, Rebekah ...

    Linda

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you for stopping by. I'm so grateful for my Father's grace and love.

      Delete
  6. good reminder of how we all want to be heard - but sometimes it is more important to listen.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh yeah sister. This is good stuff. Thank you for such a poignant reminder.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Dear Rebekah
    I have found that even when I try to do all the right things for all the right reasons and I even try my best, it is still of no use. The plain truth is that I cannot. This reminds me of Jesus who said that with man nothing is possible, but with Him nothing is impossible. We are so privileged that we only need to come to Him admitting that we are totally lost without Him and He will take over the reigns of our lives!
    Much love XX
    Mia

    ReplyDelete
  9. Beautiful Rebekah! I need to be still more and listen to what He says. Blessings to you. Wishing you a wonderful weekend.
    Beth

    ReplyDelete
  10. Yes, listening. A woman after my own heart. You don't know how much I look to you as an example of what God can do - you are amazing! I'm so blessed to have you in my life!

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for the kindess of your comment. I pray your patience with the word verification. I've had such troubles with spammers lately. Thank you for grace. I look forward to reading all the comments and responding. I appreciate you!