LISTEN.

When I ask you to listen to me And you start giving me advice, You have not done what I asked. When I ask you to listen to me And you begin to tell me how I should feel, 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 problems, You have failed me, strange as that may seem. Listen! All I ask is that you listen; Not talk, nor do - just hear me. And I can do for myself - Am not helpless Maybe discouraged and faltering, but not helpless. When you do something for me, That I can, and need to do for myself, You contribute to my fear and weakness. But when you accept as a simple fact that I do feel what I feel, No matter how irrational Then I quit trying to convince you And can get about the business of understanding What's behind this irrational feeling. When that's clear, The answers are clear that I don't need advice. Irrational feelings make sense when we Understand what's behind them. Perhaps that's why prayer works sometimes for some people; Because God is mute, and doesn't give advice to try to 'fix' things, He just listens and makes you work it out for yourself. So please listen, and just hear me, and if you want to talk, Wait a min