We already know much about the power of listening – how a bit of light background music can improve focus on a particular task; or the 2021 study that showed how listening to fast-tempo music (130 bpm or faster) before and during exercise actually improved performance during workouts; or how slow-tempo music (60 bpm or slower) does better at putting us to sleep; and who hasn’t been consoled, re-centered, or decompressed by “that song” (you know the one) or a guided meditation. Listening is good for us!
Our bodies are listening all the time. Granted, sometimes it’s defensive listening (that kind where you’re already preparing your response to them, but you’re “listening”,) but our bodies are always listening. Therefore, we must be intentional about how we listen, and what we listen to. Some noise is just that – noise – and does little more than remind us of the chaos that surrounds us, while other noises – like birds chirping and wind pushing against leaves – help remind us how big this world is, and that Luke 12 scripture that reminds us how God has taken care of the ravens and all these other little things outside of our life…God will take care of us too.
Today’s challenge is for you to engage in restful listening. Listen to the world around you. Pause after reading this, and listen to the literal sounds around your space and outside of your body right now. Hear the birds, hear the wind, the sirens, and for each sound simply whisper in your mind, “God is taking care of that.” And without pause, at the end of about 3 minutes of listening, say aloud: “And God is taking care of me.”
Rest in that, and be well.
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