Just Shut Up and Listen

"Shut up" is a colloquial phrase meaning, "be quiet."  Referring to "close your mouth," it is usually considered to be rude. In recent years, however, it has taken on an additional meaning of astonishment or even in some contexts, "tell me more!" (Wikipedia)   With this expanded meaning, perhaps the collective subconscious mind of society is prompting us to listen.

We all start out as listeners. I am reminded of this whenever I spend time with my 21-month-old grandson. Declan listens to everything. He listens to the mysteries of nature. He listens to the rhythm and tones of music. He listens to the sound of his own voice. He listens to emotion. He listens to the connections of language and life that are all around him. He listens to learn.

The farther down the road to adulthood we travel, the less we seem to listen. The twists and turns of American life often turn our attention to our insecurities, and then selfishness and pride, causing our focus to be on what we are saying, rather than on what we could be hearing. At the end of this journey lies a dead-end filled with sounds and voices of lost opportunities.

As I make a deliberate choice to practice the art of listening, I place myself in a posture to learn. I find myself actively seeking the mysteries of God's creation. I am tuned in to the universal language of music. I listen to the sound of my own voice, and attempt to temper it with humility. I pay close attention to the words of shared conversations, and listen for truth. I hear the connections of the language and life that are all around me.

A friend once gave me a special card that is now framed and hangs on my living room wall. It reads, "When your heart speaks, take good notes." I cannot hear what the heart has to say unless I take the time to "just shut up and listen."