As I reflected on the missed call, I could hear a Whisper taking me to a life lesson. I often find myself frustrated with silence, assuming it is the other party who carries the responsibility to communicate. However, what if they did? What if the communication had always been there? There would be a logical reason for the reason I did not hear which fully resting on my shoulders?
As I considered the question, I replayed multiple examples in my mind. In a few, I was the communicator. In far more, I was the listener. The lesson reminders which followed included the following.
Others, Divinity, friends, colleagues, and those who simply care, are communicating with me in a wide range of ways. From verbal to actions which touch my life and through to indirect forms of sharing, there is a constant flow. How much I hear and understand is directly correlated to my openness and willingness to hear with my head and, most importantly, my heart.
When something is not heard or understood, a quest to do both is an intentional act of relationship. Taking care of business within my mind and heart opens the door to filling in the gaps. When I do this with a humble attitude, the possibilities improve dramatically.
Start with the presumption of good intent. It is easy to assign blame. It never changes anything, but there it does bring a temporary feeling of self-righteousness. It is an old story which continues to repeat. Remember the psalmist observation, Divinity “never did this to the other nations; they never heard such commands. Hallelujah!” (Psalm 147.20). Divinity starts with inclusions while giving us each the right to exclude ourselves by not listening.
