Paying Attention

I’ve heard people say that God never shows them anything that influences their lives. Well, the reason why we don’t hear God and not see the miracles that are by His hand here on earth is that our world is TOO LOUD and we are TOO DISTRACTED by all of the things that we busy ourselves with every day.

Think of it, we are bombarded by noises and visual stimuli all day long, from the moment that we wake up (to your alarm clock) to the television that you watch at night. In between those times are car horns, jets flying overhead, telephones, radios and lots of people to engage with. I won’t even talk about computers, cell phones, PDAs, iPads, etc. My Goodness, where’s the quiet?

The quiet is where God is. You may not be hearing His voice because His voice can’t be heard!

Try this. Whenever you feel most relaxed – could be in the morning, or at night – go to a quiet place. Maybe it’s a room, outside away from the action, a library, etc. Close your eyes and visualize a beautiful landscape, or road in front of you. At the end of that road is a colorful sunset or something that you find calming, but that inspires you. Breathe regularly. Push the stress out through your breath.

After a few minutes, when you feel calm, simply ask God to be with you. I say “I am here, God”; you could choose something different. It’s not praying, or asking God to tell you your purpose. It’s just being there and waiting patiently as you relax. If you don’t sense anything, that’s OK. At least your forming a connection.

God very rarely says something directly to me. But, I’ll hear His words through other people, or see His actions in things that are around me. How many times have you looked at something or seen something and said, “my God, that is beautiful!” Well yes, from God it is beautiful. It was placed there just for you.

So, try it. Try slowing down for God and he will communicate with you. The thing is that He will communicate with you when He’s ready, not necessarily when you ask him to. You have to train yourself to wait for Him. He’ll say something, or do something for you. You just need to be paying attention to what you see and hear.