I pray for peace, for listening ears, and understanding. I pray for helping hands and compassion. I pray we will be emptied of ourselves and filled with the love of God which goes beyond what we alone can think or imagine. In Jesus Name, Amen.

It's time to listen. Listen- the act of giving attention to a sound. Often times I have been riding in my car and there arose a sound that either I wasn't familiar with or I wanted to know where it was coming from. Without fail I always turn the radio down and give as much of my attention, besides driving, to try and determine what is that sound. What is making that sound or what is causing it? My point is, I have to get quiet. This is where we are failing each other right now. We listen to fix not to understand. We want to change other people when we need a change within ourselves. How can we expect someone else to listen and change when we are not willing to do the same. Sometimes the problem is not that other person. Are we willing to change how we approach a situation? Do we try to understand what other people go through? Did you know how we treat people starts before we are born? Did you know we have the power to transform our mind? When will we stop talking so much and listen? I'm not speaking about the people on the news that we don't have direct access to, pray for them. Reach out to someone in the store, on your street, or in jail, someone you can have a face to face with. How about that person you turned your nose up to or labeled because of the way they look or dress. Maybe someone has a bad or sad look on their face. Reach out with the intent to understand what they are going through. How do they see themselves? Don't try to fix them or give them your opinion, just listen if they are willing to share. However don't be mad if they reject you, smile, wish them well, and keep it moving. It's not about you.

Listening can mean the life or death of a relationship. So it starts at home listening to our mom and dad, our children, our spouse and our friends. Please start some where. You don't have to agree with them or like what they say. It's about understanding, balance, and allowing other people to express themselves. Balance is a key word for relationships, but that's for another time. Until then, unity, peace, and love.