A Mary Moment Monday post
My one-word resolution this year is LISTEN. For someone with a lot to say and a lot of words waiting to be used, there’s a certain amount of challenge.
Listen does not mean “observe.” It does not equal half of my attention, while I’m doing three other things. It doesn’t invite me to interpret or explain.
While listening is not synonymous with silence, a certain amount of silence can’t hurt, especially if the One I’m trying to listen to tends to use a still, small voice. There are other small voices in my life too: those of my children.
I often expect others to speak up when I can’t hear them. But what if I listened up?
What if Mary hadn’t heard the angel Gabriel? What if she had been too busy with her own thoughts, loudly discussing something with a friend, or distracted by a million other things?
Lucky for us, she heard Gabriel, loud and clear. She looked him in the eye and said Yes.
Apparently, God was listening to her, too.
This week, I’m going to practice listening up. Maybe it will mean getting down to eye level with someone who’s under four feet tall. Maybe it will mean not doing dishes while praying a rosary. Maybe it will mean using the early morning silence to just be still and…listen.
