This is a guest blog by the co-author of our newest book. Elaina Salmon is a parish pastor and an accomplished storyteller. We hope you enjoy meeting her and hearing her message.

This year, I have been part of a Spiritual Direction Internship through The Claret Center in Chicago. We meet every Wednesday. Our morning routine includes small group reflection on something we “noticed” during the week that related to our prior class discussion. Then we’re given 45 minutes to listen to our souls.  Some question or prompt gives focus to our time of self-reflection.

I’m not sure I offered my soul much listening space before this internship. At least not 45 minutes at a time! The prompts seem a vital part of the process as they invite me to listen more deeply and intentionally than I would on my own. What I have “noticed” is that in listening deeply to my own soul, I listen more deeply to others. Being present to myself has allowed me to be more present to others.

In Beyond Chit-Chat, Dave and I highlight the importance of story listeners.  Generous listening is an act of love that affirms the storyteller matters.

Maybe we need to offer ourselves, our own souls, that same gift of generous listening. As we say in our spiritual direction class, we’re invited to take “a long, loving look at the real”—our real feelings, struggles, questions, and desires. There are things our souls long to tell us, but we need the quiet space to hear the soul’s whispers.

There’s a lot that crowds out the soul’s whisper--our pace of activity, social media scrolling that distracts and numbs, and exhaustion at the end of a day’s work and responsibilities. But here’s a gentle reminder--every moment of our day does not need to be filled with productivity, activities, or screens. As scripture reminds us, “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10)

Perhaps today, you can take some time to listen to your soul. Carve out some quiet space. Journal, if that’s your style. Here are some prompts to guide you. 

Your story matters. Your soul’s whispers matter. You affirm that each time you offer your soul the gift of generous listening.
 

Spending some time each week listening to your own soul will very likely open up some soul space in you to offer the gift of generous listening to someone else. So often, between the listening and the telling, we meet God in these stories.

Want more tactics to help people think and talk about their faith? Check out our newest book Beyond Chit-Chat for one of the keys to making church meaningful again.