Do you know what it's like to never be heard?
I do.
I also know what it's like to be heard, and it's an amazing feeling. But for the most part, silence surrounds me.
Maybe you've been there. You're quiet, socially anxious and fearful of people's judgments. It's a valid concern--the world is full of harsh critics eager to rip your faith and innocent hope away. However, there are a lot of gentle, caring people in the world too. The sad thing about this all is that we who are quiet usually have a hardened view of reality/society and assume that everyone is out to hurt us, so we put up the walls, lock ourselves away and throw away the key--all in the name of protection.
While it is momentary protection, the walls eventually grow stronger with time and soon they are solid brick. At that point, it's really hard to break them down. Has anyone had to get out the jackhammer to get through your barriers? Yeah, I know that feeling too. =)
"I know You're here with me, I just need the faith to see. Nothing can separate me from Your love"
On the opposite spectrum of walls is open pastures. These aren't necessarily good either, because we can easily let in people who can, and probably will, hurt us. So where's the balance?
"Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it" - Proverbs 4:23
Guarding your heart is not putting up 10 foot walls, or letting people walk right in. It is healthy boundaries, recognizing the signals you're giving others, thinking with your brain and not your heart, and keeping in constant communication with God. Our first mistake happens when we do a two-minute devotional each day and leave it at that. I'm starting to recognize the wisdom in continual prayer and reflection--sizing myself up by God's standards and how His Word says I need to live my life.
He may feel far away, but He's still there. Calmly waiting for you to come to Him and ask for help. You may pray but hear nothing. This doesn't mean He's not listening, instead He's probably trying to get you to listen closer, to trust in Him. To believe that when He says you are a precious creation--His treasure to be exact--He is telling the truth.
It may sound silent, but try something that our culture doesn't value: Just Listen.
2 comments:
My college pastor once said, "Feeling heard is almost synonymous with feeling loved." So true. What a comfort to know, "Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and he hears my voice." Psalm 55:17
Amen to that! It can be such a struggle, but such a joy at the same time. His voice so often comes in the quietest of tones, so that we must get completely silent just to hear it.
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