Listening - Women taking a stand

Sometimes I am not a very good listener. I blame it on my age and I say I didn't hear it, but I often wonder if that is true or if I just have a short attention span. Often times, my family has to repeat things more than once to me. I am just not a good listener at times.
At times, we don't hear, because we don't listen. I read a story recently that illustrates this thought perfectly:

A man lost his watch while working in a ice house. He searched diligently for his watch, carefully shifting through the sawdust, but to no prevail did he find his watch. His co-workers also searched for his watch, but they came up with nothing.

While the men took a lunch break, a young boy who had heard about the lost watch slipped into the ice house to search for the lost watch. After just a short time, the boy came out of the ice-house with the watch in his hand.

The men were all astonished that the young boy found what they could not. They asked him, "How did you find it?" The boy replied, " I laid down in the sawdust and kept very still. In the quietness, I heard the watch ticking."

I have found that life can be so hectic and we can become so consumed with things that distract us that it is difficult to find time to slow down and just be still. Have you ever wondered why Jesus went to be alone with His Father? He secluded Himself so He could focus completely on what His Father had to say to Him.

It was never a question of whether or not God was speaking, because He was. Jesus just made a point of listening. The question for us is not whether or not God is speaking but are we willing to listen? We might need to remove some distractions and get quiet before God so we can hear Him.

Psalms 46:10 Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

When is the last time you laid down in the sawdust prayer closet and just listened? If you get still before Him, you might be able to hear something of importance.