listening

I spend a lot of time listening. To music. To friends. And family. To my thoughts.

And not enough time to God. And my gut instincts.

This week I've mostly been listening to my body. Which is saying things like: "Ouch!" "I need a break." "Stop!"

My struggle to listen to my body is that we're always taught to push harder. That it isn't our bodies standing in the way, but our minds. That slowing down or quitting or even just taking a break is equivalent to giving up.

"You can do it!" "You're almost there!" "Don't stop now!"

But words that are meant to encourage aren't necessarily words we should always listen to.

The better we know ourselves, and the more often we practice listening, the better able we are to hear the "right" words, the ones we need to heed at any given time. Be they words from our friends or family, our own minds or guts. Listening helps us discern God's voice from our own wants and fears. It helps us know when to let things go in one ear and out the other, and when to give pause and pay attention.

So, dear body, I'm paying attention. We will make friends with ice packs and knee braces to get us through Sunday's triathlon. We will do the shorter race, even though we've been training for the longer one and are perfectly capable of completing it. And then we'll take a week off before our next adventure!

EMBRACE LISTENING.

Who or what do you need to practice listening to?