praying is hard. that's why people talk when they do it.
while it might take a certain talent to write and deliver moving, meaningful prayers, it takes a bigger one to shut up.
yesterday in my office, i had a family of 4, and they all talked at the same time. i asked them repeatedly to take turns and they'd comply for awhile and then go back to yack, yack, yack. i couldn't hear them, they couldn't hear each other, and no one could hear me. including me! my head was too busy trying not to explode to be able to hear!
the ironic thing is, they - and i - probably all had something good to say. something important to contribute. not the least of which was - some truth. (which, you gotta hope, is why they came for help in the first place - to get a new perspective, a truthful perspective. but, sadly, they all knew too much already - supposedly - to take the time to listen to more.)
when the appointment was over and i finally got to leave the office to go home, first thing i did when i hopped in the car was crank up the radio loud as it would go. (especially since it was a sunny and "warm" - this is ohio, folks - spring day.)
i cranked up the radio and first thing i hear is poor mick, still not gettin' any satisfaction. (sidebar here: no foolin' he's tried and he's tried and he's tried and he's tried! dang near 50 years now and he's still workin' at it!)
and then.......it hit me.
of course he can't get no satisfaction. hard to get satisfaction when all you do is yell about how you can't get none. maybe what mick needs to do is........shut. up.
mick needs to shut up, my clients need to shut up, you need to shut up, and i need to shut up. because even though God can hear us over the din, we can't hear Him.
and, so........i turned off the radio.
turns out, mick? satisfaction is God.
and He's as close as your quiet ears.
