Listening to God

I need to be a better listener. And I need to make time to listen. This week of vacation showed me a little bit of what life could be like if I did more of that. I got a few very clear messages from God this week, and none of them came during a scheduled quiet time or prayer time. So I think what I have is a receptivity problem more than a seeking problem. And if God is continually drawing us to Himself, this makes sense to me. Not meaning that I'm off the hook for seeking God with all my heart. I just think that part of the seeking is more about listening than I realized before.

I need to find ways to help me do this, to stay tuned in and receptive to God's voice. I'm not quite sure what that is going to look like. But it has to be more than 30 minutes in the mornings before the house comes alive. My first thought is to find another book to read and study. Maybe not a bad choice for everybody, but it can certainly be a cop-out for me.  I don't have any answers on this yet, but I do know that it involves both one-on-one time with my God and time caring for other people. It also involves less wasted time and energy and maybe some new habits. It's all still being flushed out, but I'm writing it down so that I don't let the week come and overwhelm me until I convince myself to forget the spiritual productivity of this past week.