Leaning In

Ever watch a couple of people talking in a pub or bar, and, as one starts into what is clearly a longer statement, the other person’s elbows get gently planted on the table and they lean forward toward their partner? Deep listening requires “leaning in.” It requires us to focus the direction of our head, to withdraw from the other sounds around us, and to give ourselves to the other. Deep listening is expressed physically. Our bodies join into our ears and we give ourselves, our whole selves, to this other person. We can see this happening to someone who is engrossed in a book, lost in the imagination, the explanation, the inspiration of the author. They lean toward the page. It’s probably what the writer was doing as they wrote. They leaned in. We can see it during a walk in the woods, when there’s a stillness, or birdsong, or rippling water, or the breeze causing the saplings to shudder and their leaves to applaud. There’s a stopping, a leaning, a listening, and a giving over of ourselves to the moment. We can see it in worship, during a song, a Scripture reading, in the midst of a prayer, or during a message. It is an expression of wanting, and that’s why we lean. We want to hear, we want to learn, we want to know, we want to be included, we want to make sure we don’t miss a moment. It is a seeking after God, creation, or another person. It’s seeking clarity. We lean in and give ourselves over. One of the intriguing aspects of this is that we don’t just do it by reflex but also by choice. We can choose to tell ourselves to pay attention and to join in. We can choose to lean and the giving of ourselves will follow. We have the choice to hear and to seek to understand the Lord and his grace. So, I encourage you to lean in. Blessings, Geoff