Talking, Listening, Commitments.

Talking is a common thread in my life. Being the passionate person that I am, my thoughts and opinions have a tendency to carry emotion and purpose that may not be necessary. This is true, I am sure, for all of us, but proving the superiority of a collegiate sports rivalry or a coffee brand over another are not, exactly, in the world we live in.

Sure, many of my opinions come from my beliefs and the way that I read the Scriptures that found them.* Reading Matthew 25, for example, I find it hard to believe that someone would care more about "personal freedoms" and political "liberty" over, say, taking care of our neighbors. I'm strongly opposed to dispensationalism because I don't believe it is Scriptural (read, "it is heresy") and I think the whole Hagee/Lahaye reading of Revelation is bunk. Again, this has merit, specificaly because your way of reading Revelation directly affects your views of the future both personally and corporately.

Unfortunately, I have let many of the arguments and debates become the emotionally and time consuming factors in my life. Instead of acting on what I believe, I have been talking an awful lot about what to do, who to vote for, and all the other American distractions we have created for ourselves. Intentionally or not, some friends have managed to point out my significant failings here, and I would like to spend the next few moments making commitments and moving forward.

Commitment #1: Silence is not a bad thing.

Monastics have often reflected on the need for silence and how that gives us an aloneness with God that we often lack in our busy world. To take this one step further, I think that there are times that I have missed hearing God's voice, or God's nudge to "go and do," because I was talking to loudly myself. I have no doubt that there is a time for speaking, a time for debating (see "St. Paul" in the Encyclopaedia Britannica**) and a time for teaching, but that time is not always now. Perhaps we all have gotten so lost in the noise of cable news, talk radio, and the people we work with that we cannot hear God ourselves. He lays out some very clear expectations for our lives (see "Bible, the" and more specifically "the Gospels") yet I have fallen content with talking about them, rather than living them. I'm going to try to spend more time in silence***, listening for the still small voice.

Commitment #2: Less Clutter.

Physical clutter can be a huge distraction for any of us, especially for me. My ability to get distracted by just about anything**** can make a twenty minute task take all day. As a result, my life is less productive and I spend more time reorganizing over and over again rather than pushing forward on the projects and tasks I want to accomplish.

In addition, I am involved in many things, some of which are good ideas but lack the value that I hoped to see in them when I first pursued them. In other cases, they bore fruit for a season but that season is clearly over, and I am working to extract myself from what has become mundane and laborious work, not service.

Commitment #3: Fewer Places of Contention.

As I came to these realizations recently (thanks, again, to several friends who spoke with me about these things), it has become apparent how deeply we all struggle with this. Within the body of Christ, we have deep disagreements about many things, and a healthy discussion and respect for one another is key to our human experience. But at other times, the hostility and unwillingness to bear one anothers burdens is unbelievable and, frankly, sinful. I recognize that I have put myself into these situations and stirred up the bee's nest many times, and this is a wrong thing to do. As a result, I will be backing away from certain forums, outlets, and if need be, people, to create healthy boundaries. 

We are all made in the image of God. The Mother Theresas. St. Francis and St. Benedict. The pregnant single teen. The dirty homeless guy, the drug addict, and the guy that always smells like booze. You. Me. Let's respect each other, respect ourselves, and listen for that still small voice that speaks to us in the Scriptures, through the church fathers, and in our times of prayer and solitude.

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*Lest my beliefs sound "personal" it should be noted that I read, and continue to read, many theologians and saints on the Scriptures. So the way I read the Scriptures is informed by two millenia of work and thought on the subject, not just me in 2010.

**Does anyone even use the Encyclopaedia anymore? What about World Book?

***And as much as it pains me, this silence will be music free. Ugh.

****You think "oh look, something shiny" is a joke, right? Woe is me, it isn't.