By Lauren Carlson-Vohs
I hadn’t given much attention to what I would write about in this week’s column, until one morning the words of this week’s title woke me around 5:00 a.m. and thoughts swirled about before I was able to fall back to sleep. I definitely was being called to listen and had the clear sense this week’s column would emerge from those thoughts.
As I thought about my experience later that same day, I had the humorous recollection of a service given several years ago by our minister during which a cell phone went off at a critical point in his message. He temporarily paused and with a wry smile on his face said, “It had better be Jesus.”
That set me to thinking, wouldn’t it be convenient if our connection to God could be so direct? What if we knew for sure in our moments of confusion or despair, which of our thoughts were messages divinely sent to guide our decision-making, to nourish our faith? Instead, we find ourselves pondering the mystery of the divine as we sift through layers to decipher and interpret our spiritual truths. Yet it is precisely through this process that our journey to know God is enriched.
Linda Douty offers many helpful insights in her article, “Listening for God.” She quotes Thomas Merton: “Silence is the first language of God; all else is a poor translation.” In discussing the importance of making time in our busy lives to learn to listen to the silence, she reflects, “The task is to house our own portable sanctuary in the hallowed center of who we are – that place where we become so familiar with the sound of that still, small voice that we can hear it in the midst of the whirlwind, in the very ebb and flow of our daily lives.”
It apparently took the quiet calm of the early morning hours to rouse me enough to hear that still, small voice within, to allow it to express amidst all the busy goings-on of summer. Kids being home for summer vacation has a way of leaving one feeling disjointed what with their activities, bickering and frequent utterances of “I’m bored.” Given our busy lives, it’s no wonder that that still, small voice so often comes to us at unexpected times, in unexpected settings.
Douty encourages us to recognize the many ways it speaks to us: “So how has God wired you for listening? Does a sunset leave you breathless? The still, small voice is speaking – can you hear it? Does the swell of an anthem bring tears to your eyes? The still, small voice is speaking – can you hear it? Does the cry of a child in need call to you? The still, small voice is speaking – can you hear it? ... God is constantly reaching out to us through our special wiring.”
As my daughters get older, I’m beginning to share more of these thoughts with them about the importance of learning to quiet one’s mind. They get tired of me reminding them of what happens to their brainwaves after excessive electronic screen time, but they are more open to learning about the ways in which we come to know God. It is reassuring to them to realize that everyone’s spiritual path takes different turns and is inspired by different divine means. I share with them my fascination that across all cultures and all faiths, the divine calls out to all people who choose to listen.
A fun way our family has found to work on quieting the mind and body is the computer game, “The Journey to Wild Divine” (wilddivine.com). It is intended to help one learn mind-body mastery as one journeys through a mythic realm depicted with beautiful graphics. For a very reasonable price, it actually includes interactive biofeedback equipment that plugs into your computer and available software that enables you to chart your progress. It is so effective, many therapists incorporate it into their practice.
We’ve also decided with two other families to enroll our daughters collectively in a yoga for kids class. Besides calming them and grounding them more in their bodies, it is our hope it will also encourage them to become more reflective and introspective as they get older. It will be interesting to see how it impacts their physical, emotional and spiritual development. That surely will be a topic for a future column.
Whether we are called to listen or consciously seek out to listen in the silence, our rewards are many as we come to more fully understand and appreciate the divine. We learn we are not alone in our spiritual journey, no matter what challenges are set before us in life. We are shown our true calling in the calling. How wondrous that it is all ours to discover in our quest to know God.

Spiritual writer Lauren Carlson-Vohs shares this space with Dr. Bernard E. Johnson and the Revs. Tim Power, Rod Anderson and Timothy A. Johnson. “Spiritually Speaking” appears weekly.