When i ask you to listen to me, and you start giving me advise,
you have not done what i asked. When i ask you to listen,
to me, and you begin to tell me why i should feel that way,
you are trampling on my feelings, when i ask you to listen to me,
and you feel you have to do something to solve my problem,
you have failed me. Strange as that may seem, listen!
All i ask is that you listen. Dont talk or do.. Just hear me.
Advice is cheap, 50cents will get you Dear Abby,
and Billy Grahm in the same newspaper,
and i can do for myself; I am not helpless, Maybe discouraged,
and faltering, but not helpless. when you do for something
for me that i can and need to do for myself, you contribute
to my fear and inadequacy, but when you accept as a
simple fact, that i feel what i feel no matter how irrational
then i can stop trying to convince you and get on
about this buisness of understanding what is behind
this irrational feeling, and when that's clear the answers
are obvious, and i dont need advice. Irrational feelings
make sense when we understand what's behind them.
perhaps that's why a prayer works, sometimes,
for some people. Because god is mute, and he
doesn't give advice, or try to fix things. He just listens
and lets you try to work things out for yourself. So
please listen and just hear me. And if you want to talk,
wait a minute for your turn, and i'll listen to you!