Something that I personally find as a weakness is a skill of listening. I say skill because it truly is something that you have to practice and perfect. Some come by it very naturally, and I truly envy those people. For me, talking has always been an easy way to escape that “awkward silence” that is awfully uncomfortable, and naturally, what is the topic I know most about? Myself!

It really is an innocent insecurity of not being able to deal with silence in a conversation but it sure can make me look pretty self-consumed! Lately, I have really been trying to practice my listening skills and with that, I’ve discovered something pretty powerful. When you surround yourself with solid people, listening to others stories and wisdom can really help you wrap your mind around this whole “life” thing! Growing up, you constantly hear “listen to your elders” and I have always thought “yeah, yeah, yeah they know everything” but it’s not so much about what they know but what they’ve experienced.

Recently, I had a discussion with someone who I had just met and was listening to her life story, about her family, and the advice that she has given to her own kids. At the stage of life I’m in right now, feeling pressured to have my “next step” ready to go for when I graduate, I just sort of sat there and took in what she was saying. She gave me wisdom about experiencing life, especially when I was young, and to not be so quick to panic about what I needed to do with the rest of my life. She encouraged me to go after something I was passionate about but to realize that even that may not be what you ultimately end up doing with your life and to be open to that. I have heard very similar advice from my parents but sometimes it takes hearing it from a complete stranger for it to truly set in.

Similarly, God tells us the exact same thing! We can see that especially in the disciples He chose to carry out His mission with Jesus. None of them were perfect and none of them had it all figured out. I mean they were liars, adulterers, murderers, etc., but did that matter? Of course not!

All that truly mattered was that they had faith in God and His plan for them. If you have that, you have the world! There is nothing that you cannot do or achieve and God will light your soul with a passion for something that will lead you to do incredible things! I sincerely believe that’s what He wants for all of us! There’s a reason we feel emotions like joy, happiness, and love. Those were all things created by Him for us! And if you keep Him at the center of it all, no matter the circumstance, you will come out on top because God always wins. Always.

We all crave to find that one thing we feel called to do but that only comes from opening yourself up to the world and letting the Lord guide you! So, take a second. Stop being so consumed with your self-made life plan and talking so much! Instead, listen to everything that is around you. Listen to the experiences of your parents, your friends, and even strangers! You never know, God could be trying to speak to you through someone else and that one conversation could spark that passion that has been lurking inside of you for your whole life!