Listening to Our Longing
Much of our world’s noise and activity seems designed to silence the hungers and longings of our heart. Maybe we are unaware of these deep, inner hungers. They are there, but perhaps no one has encouraged us to pay attention. Jesus speaks to the hungers of our heart, to our inner longings.
If we listen to Jesus, we will discover that these longings are the doorways through which we come to God and through which God comes to us. Jesus says that the people with these are welcomed into God’s family, are brought into God’s kind and gracious presence, and are connected to one another.
—Wendy Miller,
Learning to Listen
So much of the world’s noise—its rush, its entertainment, its distractions—isn’t just loud; it’s numbing. It’s designed to keep us from feeling the deeper hungers of the heart. We may not even recognize them at first. But they are there—quiet longings for love, belonging, healing, and purpose. And rather than silencing those longings, Jesus invites us to listen. He meets us not in spite of our hunger, but through it. Our ache becomes a doorway. Our emptiness, a holy invitation.
In treatment, this is often where the journey begins: with the courage to sit still and feel what we’ve long avoided. And in that space, we may discover something beautiful—that Jesus doesn’t shame our hunger; He blesses it. Blessed are the poor in spirit, the brokenhearted, the ones who mourn, He says. These are the ones God draws near. So today, don’t rush past your longings. Listen. Name them. Bring them to Jesus. For they may be the very path through which God is reaching out to you. —DH
—David Hoskins, Founder & Care Guide, Sanctuary Clinics