Sit and listen

"Rising very early before dawn, he left and went off to a deserted place, where he prayed...

'For this purpose I have come.'"

Mark 1:35, 38

 

There are a couple of verses in between these two, but when I read this today these two jumped out at me.  I think it is totally connected that Jesus goes off alone to pray in a deserted place and then returns and knows his purpose so clearly.  Each of us are called to serve, using our gifts.  And each of us can get so muddled in everyday life that we go along for days, weeks and even years before we fully realize what that purpose is.  I know I can read back on journals kept during times of silence and retreat and it amazes me some of the truths revealed to me! Things I seriously doubt I would have heard if I had not gone off alone to a deserted place! In today's first reading (1 Samuel 3:1-10, 19-20) Samuel hears the actual voice of God calling to him.  How can we possibly hear that with the steady, pulsing din of our noisy world?  Today, let's make plans for a mini-retreat we can do in our own homes.  Set aside an hour or two, turn off the world (TV, cell phone, computer), light a candle, sit and listen.  Pray with Samuel, "Speak Lord, for your servant is listening!"  Love, heidi