It’s what wasn’t said.
By James Dodwell – Hammers of Hope
Good Morning,
It’s been several years now, but a friend asked me to take
his son hunting for squirrels, so I did. His son was young and energetic, so
for the first few hours we didn’t see any squirrels or other wildlife. I
finally convinced him to settle down and sit quietly next to the base of a
large tree. As the noise subsided and the stillness began to settle around us,
the animals began to appear on the fringes of where we were sitting. In the
silence and stillness, the birds began reappearing, then the squirrels started
some movement toward the ground from their nests in the tops of the trees, and
we even saw deer and turkey.
My little friend began to understand when you are physically
and mentally still and allow the noise of the world to subside; as we sit
quietly anticipating, wonderful things begin to appear before us. When we
listen, really listen to the under lying message mixed within the noise of the
world we find the meaning of life. We hear the desires of our heart; we listen
closely to the messages placed in our subconscious that are missed when we are
overwhelmed and intoxicated with the voices and noise of the world its then we
realize we are gifted with an ability to control the noise or inputs, if we are
willing.
This memory reappeared in my mind recently because life has
gotten so busy, again. We allow ourselves to take on too much, because we feel
cheated if we are not exhausted and stressed at the end of the day. It doesn’t need
to be that way. It’s okay to relax and take some time for yourself. Yes,
really. This is ironic, because I haven’t always felt this way. I once thought,
if I wasn’t at the end of my rope, unable to sleep through the night,
constantly reviewing and studying every little detail of a drawing or project,
I wasn’t moving forward. But that’s not true. It’s okay not to know everything.
It’s okay not to always be in control. It’s okay to say I can’t do it, to say
no, to say I don’t know how, to ask for help.
Sounds like a crazy man talking, doesn’t it? Let me
elaborate, if you have a minute. Recently, a friend that is sick called me to
talk. I met him one afternoon, thinking he was wanting, some advice about a
project, simple right? However, his struggle with the illness has whittled away
at his once positive attitude, and chipped away at his desire and love of life,
so one of the strongest people I know and respect, wanted to ask me to be first
call support for him because he had lost hope and in reality was considering,
well you know, leaving this world, sooner than expected.
As we sat quietly, allowing the noise of the world to
subside, quietly anticipating a response, wonderful things began to appear
before us. Images of our families and friends, his importance to his friends
and family, his responsibility to his walk and how others with the same
struggles are viewing his response to his life’s challenges, and the fact that
he is loved and needed and the importance his life holds to others, especially
his family. As Jesus as my witness, the more we talked about his contribution
to others, the more well, he became. I tell you as a witness, he walked out of
that place a man on a mission, nothing was going to stop him, and no illness
was going to conquer him. And I didn’t say a word; and all I did was listen.
I encourage us to be still and listen. I heard it said,
“Don’t let what you want to say get in the way of what others need to hear.” I
love this statement; However, I want to add, “Don’t say what you think others
need to hear; when all you need to do is listen.” 1 Corinthians 10:23-24
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