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.
jonathon laughed at me as i talked about getting my daily meditation from the nouwen society. he laughed, not because he thought i was geeky, but that he was geeky enough to know and appreciate what i was talking about. i love this listening as spiritual hospitality, it comes very close (in my mind) to spiritual direction. it allows people to empty themselves to where they can come to understand themselves, then becoming comfortable with themselves. imagine if we were to be people who listen to others without a need to jump in and fix or explain, or trivialize anothers experience by relating it to one of our seperate experiences. if only we could all embrace the listening as spiritual hospitality.
note: for those unfamiliar with henri nouwen, he's is one of my favorite writers on spiritual life. the way he phrases and frames thoughts, concepts, & ideas make amazing sense with me. my favorite read is "in the name of Jesus" if you are in ministry leadership it might be yours too. jonathon then asked me how he could get his daily meditation.
:: daily mediation here ::
