Listen

When I ask you to listen to me
and you start giving advice,
you are not doing what I asked.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you begin to tell me why I shouldn't feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings.

When I ask you to listen to me
and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem,
you are failing me, strange as it may seem.

Listen! All I ask is that you listen, not talk or do – just hear me.
When you do something for me that I can and need to do for myself you contribute to my fear and weakness.

But, when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel no matter how irrational, then I can stop trying to convince you and get about the business of understanding what's behind this irrational feeling.

And when that's clear, the answers are obvious and don't need advice.

Irrational feelings make more sense when we understand what's behind them.

Perhaps that's why prayer works, sometimes, for people because God is mute. He doesn't give advice or try to fix things. "They" just listen and let you work it out for yourself.

So please listen and just hear me.

And if you want to talk, wait a minute for your turn:
and I'll listen to you.

Contributed by Cliff Edwards