Sky Bridge

“Hello!  How was your weekend?” she said.

“It was great!  After that horrible week, I left Saturday for the Red River Gorge in Kentucky about 7AM so that I’d get there …”  “OH!  I’ve BEEN there”, she interrupted.  “We went there with my brother and his wife last October.  I remember the leaves were just turning colors and it was beautiful! Warm but not humid.  Perfect weather.  Did you see the Sky Bridge?  We walked over it and under it.  It was incredible.  Well, I gotta’ go. Have a great day!”

Sky Bridge - Red River Gorge, KY

I am frequently involved with ‘conversations’ such as this one.  I’m sure the initial question was asked in sincerity.  It was, however, never answered in favor of listening to one’s own voice instead.

Today, I listed to a podcast.  It was an interview set up by one author for the purpose of delving a little deeper into a new book by another author, the interviewee.

Except, it wasn’t.

I can’t determine why I listened to 45 minutes of this.  Perhaps it was the fascination of passively listening-in as two egos sub-consciously (Benefit of the doubt) battle it out for personal-promotion air-time.  Admittedly, it soon became annoying.  And yet, it stirred reflection.  Maybe a better description would be that it morphed into a short research project.

An email to sales person:

Hey there.
Two software items show up on the license but not the contract.  Should they not be on the license or should they be on both the license and the contract.  Let me know.  Thanks.

The response.

Give them a 30% discount.

The scope of investigation broadened to include face to face and electronic communications.  When serious contemplation ceased, a conviction lay exposed.

I’ve understood that prayer can be described as having a conversation with God.  I’m feeling that if this is true, my "conversations" most probably bend toward resembling the examples above in the least flattering manner.

I came across a couple of quotes from a book called Whisper by Mark Batterson.

Is God’s voice the loudest voice in your life?
That’s the Question.
If the answer is ‘no’, that’s the problem.  

Let me issue a warning, though.  If you aren’t willing to listen to everything God has to say, you eventually won’t hear anything He has to say.  If you want to hear His comforting voice, you have to listen to His convicting voice.  And it’s often what we want to hear least that we need to hear most.  Trust me, though, you want to hear what He has to say.

Once again, I’m going to promise to say less and listen more.

Sometimes, I’ll listen while interacting with others in all types of discussions / correspondence.

Sometimes, I’ll listen in solitude while walking under a sky-bridge.