Do You Hear What I Hear?

So I'm at the gym, doing leg extensions on the "Quest" machine, when suddenly I want to laugh out loud. Through the windows into the aerobics studio I can see people running back and forth, up and back, spinning in circles. They all look so serious, so determined, and (since I cannot hear the music they hear) so silly!

Then I look around and it becomes clear to me that we ALL look silly. Here I am, on a "Quest" machine of all things! Behind me people are plugged into TV monitors and MP3 players riding stationary bikes, running on treadmills, and climbing StairMasters. No one is really going anywhere!

We're all listening to different voices, tuning each other out and distracting ourselves from the fatigue and stress on our bodies and souls.

When was the last time you really listened -- to yourself, to your body, to God, to another? When was the last time you really felt heard? What are you "questing" after?

My prayer this Christmas is that you will hear what I hear: "You are loved. All is well."

Listen...can you hear it? If not, imagine how different your life might be if you could. What noises need to be silenced in order for you to hear the truth of who you are? What is distracting you from becoming who you were created to be?