Happy September! I’m not sure where August went! Espressos of Faith is belatedly celebrating a Blogiversary! We opened up the site on August 3, 2014 and started posting August 15, 2014. I’ll never forget it because I was on vacation, and my web site manager and I said: “Okay, ready or not, here we come!” (I’ve since learned to put better margin in my life and not attempt huge undertakings while away to relax.) Not long after, by the amazing grace of God, Not Just on Sundays: Seeking God’s Purpose in Each New Day was published on October 1, 2014, a day shy of my birthday.

This summer, I’ve been keeping a weekly faith column at Your Tewksbury Today and slowed down in terms of adding content to the blog site. Personally, we had a challenging summer on several counts, and rest became a must.

In honor of a year of faithful readers, engaging conversations, and much-needed personal growth, Espressos of Faith will aim to post twice a week this month, hopefully posting a few guest bloggers along the way.

Thank you for coming alongside me and reading what my heart wants to communicate. I dedicate each post to the Great I AM, Whose hand I never want to let go of—not in the stormy seas and not even when the skies are clear and the air about me dancing with dragonflies. It’s the best hand I’ve ever held: The Warm Hand of Jesus on Cold Days of Doubt.

Blessings to you this September,
Bonnie

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Summer: A time when the family spends significant amounts of quality time together, regroups from the busy school year, checks every item off the year-in-the-making to-do list, and catches up on each other’s lives.

Sound good? Yes, yes it does.

But summer can also be a time when all problems shoved to the side by our busyness the rest of the year come rushing into that empty space like an angry brook moving so swiftly, it polishes pebbles along the way.

Only I’m the pebbles, and no matter how smooth I think I am, the water continues to force its way in and demand my attention.

Know what I mean?

We glided into July with a few weeks of calm. It was good to sleep in, not worry about schoolwork, and follow our whims about the schedule.

And then, like a gigantic, threatening, visible but still-out-to-sea tidal wave, suddenly every issue that had been building—some unbeknownst to me—piled on top of my head. When I thought maybe I had a handle on one area, another person in the family would point out another flaw in our relational dynamic. Not fun.

Pretty soon I was seeing not just the frayed edges, but our seams were starting to unravel. What had been a building crisis in one of us caused everyone else to rip and tear. It was a mess, but it caused us to be more deliberate about our choices and our time. Among several decisions, we:

• Acknowledged our current limitations
• Recognized stressors that could be reduced or eliminated for the time being
• Cancelled big plans
• Involved people who could offer either good counsel or practical comfort

While those few steps were essential, the single most effective step we took was

To listen.

Believe me: I didn’t want to! I got to the point where I’d rather cover my ears and sing loudly to myself than to hear more feedback, complaints, or even inquiries.

But you know what? We learned so much about ourselves and God as we trusted God with our unravelling and let Him direct the restitching.

Once I had a chance to sort out my thoughts, I found a way to have one-on-one time with each child. Sometimes, it was getting a chai latte in a café. At other times, it was fabric shopping. It didn’t really matter how menial the task; valuable communication took place when I

stopped,

kept my mouth shut,

and

listened.

James 1:19, ESV, James, Brother of Jesus, speaking 

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger…

We had been going at a rapid pace for so long that once the dust settled, everyone had plenty to say.

I learned that cutting off the complaint before it was fully delivered was not always productive. I had been shutting down communication thinking I’d spare each member more pain. Really, I was blocking the healing process of being heard.

Proverbs 18:13, ESV, Solomon speaking

If one gives an answer before he hears, it is his folly and shame. 

There is certainly a time and a place for setting up healthy boundaries and not allowing toxic conversation to continue, but it is also okay to hear the harder statements and let people finish.

Really hearing someone is a skill we must always practice, pray for more of, and be deliberate about. Hearing is part of God’s plan for repair.

Where can we fine-tune our #listening this week for better #connectingwithothers and with #God?

— Bonnie Lyn Smith (@BonnieLynSmith) September 8, 2015

Maybe you are an excellent listener already. I feel like I am when I’m not super-close to a situation, when someone is coming to me for counsel and the problem isn’t my own. Here are some questions I had to ask myself:

• Are you dominating?
• Are you railroading over what someone is trying to say?
• Could you repeat back the person’s concern?
• Does he/she feel validated and heard?
• Is your ear attentive to wisdom?
• Is your heart inclined toward understanding?

Um, hello, Proverbs 2:1-5!

Proverbs 2:1-5, ESV, Solomon speaking

My son, if you receive my words and treasure up my commandments with you,
making your ear attentive to wisdom and inclining your heart to understanding;
yes, if you call out for insight and raise your voice for understanding,
if you seek it like silver and search for it as for hidden treasures,
then you will understand the fear of the LORD and find the knowledge of God.

I also discovered that God has a voice, and I was so consumed with putting out the fires around me, I forgot to listen to it. He was still speaking, but I had to tune in.

Proverbs 2:1-5 asks me if I am calling out for insight, searching for it like hidden treasures? Our first reaction is often to take the helm, rushing in with our own fix-it manual, or deny the issue altogether.

Proverbs 12:15, ESV, Solomon speaking

The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man listens to advice.

Where can we fine-tune our listening this week for better connecting with others and with God?

Where can we find hope in the rubble of our communications-gone-wrong?

Where can our extended ears and hearts turn a relationship around or steer it in a better direction? — Bonnie Lyn Smith (@BonnieLynSmith) September 9, 2015

I’m still learning the non-talking end of communication, but I’m so grateful God offers us instruction and that our ears can be used as instruments of His repair.

*This blog was first a featured column at Your Tewksbury Today.

**It has also been shared at any link highlighted here: Mom 2 Mom Monday Link-Up, Make a Difference Mondays, Pick Your Pin Tuesday, Women With Intention Wednesdays, Grace & Truth, A Little R & R, RaRa Link-Up, Me, Coffee & Jesus, Dance With Jesus, Blessing Counters, Coffee & Conversation, Saturday Soiree, Tell His Story, Find Stability, So Much at Home, Faith-Filled Fridays, Reflect His Love and Glory Link-Up, Bonbon ‘n Coffee Linkup, and Christian Mommy Blogger.

More anecdotal stories about an everyday relationship with God can be found in Not Just on Sundays: Seeking God’s Purpose in Each New Day (includes Book Club Discussion Questions).