Interrupting & Bombarding

     One of the jobs that I work is making airline reservations for a small airline. I sit at a desk, answer phones all day, and make or change reservations along with answering many questions for customers. When making a reservation there is a certain process that my computer program makes me go through before I can put other information into the computer. For example, I can't look at the times of flights without knowing if it's roundtrip, the dates, and a few other important parts of the puzzle. Each screen is predesigned and doesn't let me get into the other without all the necessary information.

     I am amazed at numerous customers who will interrupt me walking them through the process to try to speed it up. They want to load all of their information on me at once without me asking for it thinking it will help. Often times, when I try to explain that I can't put that information in yet they go ahead and talk over me and say what they need to say first. 

     Honestly, it's a very draining and frustrating process. Today, I had a customer who consistently would ask a question and before I could get an answer out would interrupt me with another question or some random piece of information. While I was becoming irritated and having to speak a littler more firmly (while maintaining politeness) I had an ephiphany. The lightbulb in my head went off. 

     How often I must be this customer with my Heavenly Father. Asking him question after question after question, giving him information, and bombarding him but never leaving him room to walk me through the process, calm my fears, and speak truth to me. I don't even give him room to say anything to me. I just bombard into my prayer time ranting prayers and frustrations to him and then close him off to run and do the next thing on my list. 

     How differently the process would be if I would be still and listen. I've had several people ask me what the voice of God sounds like...... I would say it sounds like a lot. Sometimes its a quite whisper. Sometimes- it's something that my friend says. Other times, a knowing in my spirit. And many times, it comes directly from His word. We must not allow the busyness of the day to take over the quiet moments when God is trying to speak to us. I must learn to be silent.