Ok, I'm Listening!

There are times when I find it quite difficult to get my children's attention. The reasons for this are numerous. They can be involved in serious play. (Taylor has such an imagination that I sometimes think she has actually been immersed in the land that she has dreamed up.) They could just not hear me. You know sometimes if they are into a movie or a Leapster game or something like that, they can't hear me speaking to them. Then sometimes they are just plain refusing to listen or ignoring me. This last one is really frustrating to any parent. When you love someone so deeply and know what's best for them, you want them to listen to you because you know that so much heartache can be avoided if they would just listen.

It might interest you to know that I am not and never have been the greatest listener either. (This probably doesn't surprise you at all if you are my mother reading this right now.)

Lately, I think God has been trying to get my attention in a particular situation in my life, and I have been the distracted, stubborn child.

Can you imagine it? God as the mother. First in a normal voice, "Julie, stop that now. I want you to do this." At first, I am just going along so intently that I can't hear Him. Then, a little louder, "Julie, you really need to stop that now. Don't you see that is not what I want for you? Go this way." But, I just keep plodding uphill on the wrong path, totally immersed in the world that I have dreamed up for myself. Finally, through the counsel of godly friends, scripture and a message that I heard on the radio this morning, "JULIE, I AM TRYING TO GET YOUR ATTENTION. YOU ARE POURING YOUR TIME AND ENERGY INTO THINGS THAT ARE NOT WHAT I HAVE IN MIND FOR YOU. PLEASE FOCUS ON THIS INSTEAD. I KNOW WHAT'S BEST."

ooooooooook. I'm listening. Sometimes, like me with my children, God just has to put both of His hands on the sides of my face, turn me gently to Him and make me understand what He is saying to me.

So, there you have it. Sometimes, you can save a lot of heartache, wasted time and energy if you would listen to the small voice rather than waiting for the big one. LESSON LEARNED.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."