Got Soul?

Anne Sexton once wrote, "Put your ear down close to your soul and listen hard."

It takes courage to put one's ear down to their soul and to listen hard. Most of us, myself included, have neither the time nor the inclination to listen to anything, much less the murmurings of our own souls.

These past few months, I've been reading and working through a study guide for Brennan Manning's book, "Abba's Child". Doing so, has inclined me to listen more closely to my own soul.

At first, all I heard was a roaring sound that resembled "white noise." To me, it was a sound that didn't make sense and that was displeasing to my ear. I was afraid to listen. I was afraid because I feared that all I would hear would be the nothingness of white noise.

In spite of my own cowardice, I persisted and I continued to listen just in case my own soul had something to say about me, or to me.

It has taken time for the white noise to settle; but settle it has. I can now vaguely hear soft whispers. They are whispers of tenderness, a tenderness that flows forth not as words; but as warm and soothing sounds for which there are no words.

I am beginning to understand that I need to take more time to listen, more time to discern what's real underneath the noise of my own life.

As I do so, I cannot help but wonder how it is that I have grown so out of touch with my own soul. How is it that the needs of this body, and the demands of this world have so completely closed me off from the very essence of my own being?

In the end, I suppose the "how" doesn't really matter. What matters is what am I going to do about changing things?

Me?

I think I'll follow Sexton's advice! I'm going to keep putting this old ear down close and listen hard!