Listening To Your Inner Voice | 4 Ways To Do So
We live in a world which is increasingly noisy due to the number of people with outlets via TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and beyond. So, I ask you today, how do you, and do you, make space to listen to your inner voice?
Do you know what your inner voice sounds like? Or what it feels like? Have you experienced the peace that comes with it? How do you know when the steps you think you should take are divinely ordered, or misguided and influenced by external forces?
Discernment allows us to perceive, understand and judge things clearly. When it comes to life matters, it is valuable to know how to distinguish our personal truths from deception or good from evil to live with peace.
With so many outside voices begging for attention, it is imperative that we create space to tune into what is best for us. Here are a few ways you can make space in your life to connect with your inner voice:
1. Go To Bed In Silence [Once, or for a Period of Time]
I pray this doesn't sound like too radical of an idea, but I'd like you to go to bed in silence, with nothing beckoning for attention. No TV, no phone, no lights, no music. Nothing sensory. Dial your senses down, so that you're able to receive, and hear from within and your God.
2. Journal
Recently my cousin asked me if when I journal I just write, or if I write "Dear God, blah blah blah." She found it interesting that when she puts pen to paper, she starts out, "Dear God." As it turns out, I do the same, and have been doing so for a while. Whether you do or not, when you connect with your deepest feelings and emotions, you are connecting with your inner voice of love, your divine, and ultimately your God which lives inside of you. So, when you put pen to paper and share your most intimate thoughts, that's what you're doing.
3. Trust Yourself
We all have a gut feeling about different situations in our lives. The issue is that we don't trust ourselves enough to go with our gut. A primary reason for not doing so is that we don't know ourselves, and what is best for us, so we herald outside voices more than our own.
4. Spend Time In Nature
When you're one with the earth, trees, wind, clouds and the air, there is a peace of knowing that everything will be ok. When your inner voice speaks to you, this peace often accompanies its instruction. So, spend time with nature, as often as you can, albeit a short or long daily walk, and experience the peace you feel while with nature. This way, when this peace comes upon you after your inner voice offers its wisdom, you will be able to discern which voice is speaking to you.
Bonus: I highly recommend The Inner Voice of Love by Henri Nouwen for deeper support on connecting with your inner voice.
In grace & gratitude,
Olivia F. Scott
