Silence Of The Heart

"God speaks in the silence of the heart. Listening is the beginning of prayer." - Mother Teresa, Christian missionary and winner of the 1979 Nobel Peace Prize

I've learned to listen in silence. It hasn't been very easy. My mind wanders all over the place some days when I'm trying to sit quietly and listen to my inner voice. It's a challenge to say the least.

I know it's worth the effort though. In the stillness, thoughts and ideas come to me. Some of them make no sense, but some of them are clear messages as to what I should do next in my life. I happen to believe that those thoughts and ideas are from my God. For instance, there was a period of time in my life when I wasn't attending church on a regular basis. I was newly divorced and I was struggling with my emotions. This struggle led me to stray from going to church on a regular basis.

The weekend before Christmas of that year, I sat quietly in my living room, closed my eyes, took one deep breath, and asked the God of my understanding for some clarity on this issue. Within a few seconds one word crossed my mind - "Unity" - and I realized that was my answer. I had never gone to Unity Church before but I wanted to find someplace to go for Christmas Day. So I attended a service that Sunday at Unity Church of Fort Myers and I was hooked! I had found a church home just like that. I don't know if words can adequately express how amazing it was to know in my heart that I had found my church home with such ease.

This is just one example of the results that have come for me when I listen for God speaking in the silence. All I need to do is take the time to be quiet and listen. I don't have to make demands or requests. I just need to listen. I love this quote by Mother Teresa. And I'm grateful I gave it a try.