Lenten Listening

This season's Lenten practice has been an interesting one for me. Really, all I've done is read daily (so far) through Small Surrenders by Emilie Griffin and maybe skip an event or two that doesn't seem Lent-appropriate, but that's it. No great sacrifice, no giving up, no fasting. Not surprisingly, I am more centered and focused in all areas of my life, particularly work and friendships. The people-orientation shift is still moving along nicely. I'm darn near pleasant most of the time. The thing that has been most drastically different is the way I am communicating with God. We seem to be having real-time dialogs and I am finding it easy to distinguish God's voice from the voice in my head. It's been interesting. God's told me not to do some things that I'd wanted to do, which bums me out but I know it's for the best.

We had a conversation the other day about something that I'm really not into that I think God wants me to be open to. It wasn't a big emotional, mystical event at all. It was God saying, I want you to be open to this, me saying I'd rather not and here's why, God saying, just trust me, etc. Then that day we had a concert in the lobby at work - another conversation - but it was good and the girl sang a song that was VERBATIM what God was asking of me. I rolled my eyes, said, yeah, you're hilarious, and went back to work. It's an interesting time.