Stop. Talking.

Do you like to talk? I sure do. If you look at our cell phone bill, you'll see that I'm the one who uses the majority of our shared minutes. It's been proven that women talk more than men. This is most certainly the case in our house! I love talking to anyone, anywhere! I've stopped talking on the phone when I'm in the car with my children- partly for the safety of Kate and Drew and partly because I want to be talking to THEM when we're in the car together. We chat about everything that we see out the window and we always sing in the car, too.

Amanda, our children's pastor (who is phenomenal), shared this thought during her children's message on Sunday. "When our lips are closed, our ears start listening more." Hmmm... She really has a knack for breaking down the "grown ups' sermon" for the kids. But, my simple mind sure does appreciate her thoughts. We are so good at talking to God. We tell him what we want, what we need, what others want and what others need. Sure, occasionally we will praise Him or confess things to Him. But honestly, most people are heading to God when they want something. Don't get me wrong, our needs and wants are often legitimate. And God hears every one of them.

But, do you ever stop to listen? God talks back to us, you know. I'm ashamed to admit that I forget that I need to be intentional about listening for God's voice. I'm so busy with my own agenda that I yammer on and on and forget to be quiet. I've challenged my high school girls' Bible study with this over the past few months. Where is the quiet time in your life? We live such a fast paced life that we hate the quiet. We don't want to be still. It makes us uncomfortable. Too many things to do. Places to go. Don't be lazy. Can't waste time.

I promise that it won't be a waste of time. What has God been telling you lately? What's He trying to tell you? "When our lips are closed, our ears start listening more."


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