Yesterday I blogged about Awareness. Today I want to talk about the second thing God has been speaking to me about which is Attentiveness. It is one thing to be aware of God in our daily lives. It is yet another to be attentive to him.
Moses once saw a burning bush that grabbed his interest. He was aware that something unusual was happening. But it was only as he took time to stop and look that God then spoke to him (Exodus 3:1-10). After all, who opens up deeply to inattentive people?
Be like the prophets who took time to see and hear from God. This requires a posture of being ready to look and listen. If we are otherwise engaged, we will miss out. We can't multi-task. Looking and listening to other lesser things means we don't capture the greater things. A doing obsession is the greatest enemy to this prophetic posture. What is most needed is extended time and space of not doing anything so there is an environment of ready attention - without preoccupation or distraction.
Often we are like a kid constantly playing with toys who is so engrossed/absorbed with them that we are unaware of Father's affectionate gaze. We might look for a minute … but with the intent of getting back to our toys as quickly as possible. This affects all of our relationships. After all, hurry is the enemy of life-giving conversation.
Do we really hear people? Do we really see them? Or are they just a distraction, an interruption, an inconvenience … to what we are doing?
Be like Samuel who said - “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Deliberately cultivate a posture of attentiveness. No rush. Ready. Waiting. Listening. Looking. Noticing. Observing. Thinking. Reflecting. Meditating.
How many burning bushes did you walk by today?
[Picture: The Burning Bush by Chinese artist He Qi]