A story about deep listening

Dec 13, 2022
A story about deep listening

This is a story about deep listening.*

There was a woman with an unshakeable faith in God. She prayed every day and felt that if anything ever happened, God would be there to take care of her. 

One day it started to rain. The village flooded, and everyone hurried to escape. Some townspeople drove by her house, and urged her to come to safety. 

She replied, “God will save me.”

The rain continued to fall, until the water rose so high that she needed to go up to the second floor of her home to stay dry. A boat came by, and the people on it urged her to come aboard and go with them to safety. 

She replied, “Thank you, but God will save me.”

She soon needed to go up on her roof in order to avoid the rapidly rising water. A helicopter flew by and the pilot shouted, “I’ll toss you a line and we’ll hoist you up!” 

She refused. “Bless you,” she said “but God will save me. Any minute, you’ll see, God will do something and I’ll be saved.”

Within minutes the water level rose, washing the woman out to sea, where she drowned. She went to heaven, and upon reviewing the new arrivals, God was surprised to see the woman.
You're not supposed to be here! It’s not your time. What are you doing here?”

The woman replied, “I believed in you. I believed that you would save me. I waited and waited, and you never came. What happened?”

God said, “I sent you a car, a boat, and a helicopter. What more do you want?”



When you listen deeply to your soul, your inner voice, your longing, you will become clearer in her messages for you. 

These messages can be subtle, and may not look like what you expected. As you practice deep listening, you gain clarity and become adept at hearing the most subtle messages. Messages that may start as a whisper become louder and clearer as you tune into them. 

It starts with listening to the messages, then acknowledging them, and when you’re ready - taking action. This is not necessarily a linear or quick process. But through it you are able to recognize what it feels like to move from deep listening to deep knowing (what you need).

Go ahead and practice this now. Close your eyes, connect with your breath, and simply listen. 
If it helps to ask a question, ask What do I need right now? Listen. 

When you wake up in the morning, after your alarm goes off, before looking at your phone practice again. Close your eyes, connect with your breath, and listen. 

Give yourself the gift of one quiet moment, listening to your soul, and hearing her message for you.

With love,
Jodh


*I’ve seen different variations of this story. I’ve excerpted this version from If life is a Game, These are the Rules by Cherie Carter-Scott Ph.D.

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