Encouragement

Just Listen

by Anne O'Donnell
10/03/20
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“Good evening and welcome!” I greeted Patrice as she entered the restaurant anxious to know if the rave reviews describing the food were true. Meeting members of our community is a perk of my job and I enjoyed engaging in small talk with Patrice as I showed her to a table. We managed to squeeze in a few more conversations during her subsequent visits over the next year and I looked forward her candid openness and chatty personality. 

One day, I suggested we find a location to escape interruptions and elaborate on all the topics we started. Patrice struck me as the type of person who would appreciate the blessing of a simple friendship, as I had I detected she carried heavy burdens from her health and declining marriage.

After praying and asking the Lord to arrange our meeting, I sensed Him giving me specific directions for my role in this first get together - He wanted me to “just listen”. Patrice has the gift of gab, and I welcomed the privilege to extend a heart of understanding to my new friend.

Arriving at Hidden Lake and relaxing in the midafternoon sun, Patrice dove right into multiple conversations, barely finishing one before jumping into the next. Her mind raced as she strained to unload details surrounding her fears and disappointments, but also her inability to cope with the escalating depression suffocating her husband. As a young boy, he witnessed his mother attempting suicide, but never felt compelled to speak about the trauma until the memories nearly destroyed him as a grown man. The continual relapses were taking their toll on the marriage.

Patrice questioned if fear entered her life during childhood when her father turned into a drunken maniac.  She remembers running and hiding to escape his rage. Viewing herself as a victim of circumstance from the past, she longed to find freedom from debilitating emotions weighing her down.

She conveyed memories of sexual abuse as a young girl, and carried fear from the brutal encounter. Her heart yearned to expel the bad memories and in exchange, know true peace and acceptance.

Patrice questioned if her anxiety contributed to her son eating away at his wrist while in the womb, resulting in a severe condition after birth. She partly blamed herself for the baby’s problem.

She also shared details concerning two recent surgeries and her fear of the upcoming third surgery, anxious to know if the doctors would purposely botch this one up for the sake of making a higher profit off the insurance company. Memories of horrific experiences in the hospital were ruining her ability to trust the medical personnel, especially the nurse who neglected her during recovery and should have been sued.

At this juncture, I felt the prompting of the Holy Spirit to pray for her. Not having any background knowledge of her faith, or lack of it, I sensed God opening the door of her heart to receive His comfort. Prayer flowed out of my mouth freely and effortlessly, a true sign to me the Lord was using my mouth to minister to his precious daughter.

Our lovely afternoon ended and parting ways, we agreed since God connected us, we would let the warmth of our time together assure us of His presence in the days and weeks ahead until we could continue where we left off.

Patrice reminds me of myself when I sit before God and pull out my long lists of needs, requests, suggestions, bargains, favors, sins, weaknesses, short-comings, failures, disappointments, fears, heartaches, expectations, and prayer requests. I ramble so much and I can just picture Him sitting next to me nodding His head up and down, confirming He hears every word, yet I prevent Him from getting a word in edge-wise because of my endless chatter to convey every last detail of how I feel. Yet He is faithful to just listen.

God knows though. He’s been around humans long enough to know what disturbs us the most, and what drives us to seek out His help in desperate moments. He hears the cries of our hearts, knowing our words before we speak them, our days before any of them come to be, and our desire to draw close when our restless hearts spin out of control. He’s God, our great Comforter, our Protector, our Shepherd, and our Savior, who cradles us when no one else can, and speaks words of affirmation into our souls when we are most desperate for answers. All we need to do is “just listen”.