We're all fighting to survive

Image via The Wheatfield Shop

One of my New Year's resolutions is to read books. I came upon this resolution by the realization that now that I'm no longer in school, I have to keep reading if I want to keep learning. Whether its the newspaper, online news, fiction, non-fiction, what have you. I need to keep reading, learning and growing.

The book I'm currently reading "How to Communicate: The Ultimate Guide to Improving Your Personal and Professional Relationships" sounds so wonky, but so far is a good read. I chose to read this book because I'm in the communication field and let's be honest, I could always use help with being a better communicator in all my relationships.

The book begins with the importance of listening, and goes on to discuss steps to effective listening. In the section about "Listening with Empathy" was a little nugget that is sort of a "duh," but a good duh. The section begins by saying "There is only one requirement for listening with empathy: simply know that everyone is trying to survive. You don't have to like everyone or agree with them, but recognize that you do share the same struggle."  Is it weird that I was comforted by that thought? Sometimes I feel like everyone else has their head on their shoulders or has life all figured out. And then I wonder, how do they have it all figured out at my age, and what class or lecture did I miss? Maybe I wasn't listening. Oops.

I like to think that everything that I experience, see, read, feel, etc. is God trying to tell me something. Lately, I've been praying and asking God to open up my heart and help me to love others more with reckless abandon and without fear. Maybe, this is God working on my heart. At least, I'd like to think so.

So come on God! Pull me closer to love!