A Reflection for Hope and Resilience: Take a Moment To Listen to What God Is Saying to You

This is part of a series of regular messages of hope and resilience that will be made available through Employee Connections and printed copies for those who do not have easy access to computers. Read previous reflection messages here.

Listen to that. Can you hear it?

This past weekend, I continued the journey (now a year long and counting) of rebuilding the deck on the back of our home. Being outdoors has always been a therapeutic retreat for me, in the heat of the summer or in the dead of the winter. I enjoy plugging in the ear buds and listening to my favorite station or one of my iTunes playlists as I work around the yard. The noise in the headphones drowns out whatever is going on around me.

Things are nearing completion on the deck. Sunday, at the end of a long hot day’s work, I slowed down enough to sit at the table and take in the breathtaking beauty of a typical Nebraska sunset. As I sat in the comfortable chair, sipping on our homemade sun tea, I took out the ear buds and listened to an entirely different musical playlist – the singing of birds all around me. It wasn’t quite “Mr. Bluebird's on my shoulder,” but it was impressive never the less!

Recently, a cherished friend and health care provider reflected that God is always speaking to us. The question is: Are we listening?

I remember a spiritual retreat that I attended years ago. The guest speaker invited us to do everything slowly over the course of those few days, even walking and eating. As one in a hurry and always on the go, it about drove me bonkers. It was ridiculous, I thought. It took more than a bit of time for me to slow it down. And then, something amazing happened. I felt like God maybe was saying something to me. Thankfully, I chose to listen, and the “words” I heard in those moments changed my life.

I invite you to take a moment. Turn down the volume of whatever is blaring in your ears and mind. Invite a moment of silence into your schedule and just listen. What is God saying to you? 
Words of encouragement? Soothing words of comfort? Words of hope and peace?

Listen and wisely soak it in!

Blessings!

Chaplain Scott Jensen, Methodist Fremont Health

Methodist chaplains' reflections for hope and resilience are published in Employee Connections on the second Wednesday of the month.

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We know these are difficult times. If you would like to speak with a chaplain for support, please feel free to reach out.

Methodist Hospital and Methodist Women’s Hospital: Call Operator “0” and ask for the chaplain to be paged.

Methodist Fremont Health: Call Scott Jensen at (402) 290-1408.