What people ask of Pastoral Care

Please listen when I talk, but don’t only listen with your ears, because if you do, you might not hear all I’m saying, for I do not only talk with my mouth.

Listen with your eyes. Look at me, watch me. My actions may be saying more than my words. You must listen with your eyes because I speak with my eyes. My eyes are the mouthpiece of my inner self, and the inner me is the real me, the me I need you to know.

Listen with your mouth. I need to know you are hearing me, that you are interested, that you care.

Most of all, listen with your heart, for I talk mainly with my heart.

My voice might say, ‘How are you, what are you doing?’ and your ears may hear this. But my heart might be yelling, ‘Ask me how I am, get me to talk, I need to talk!’

If you don’t listen with your heart you won’t hear this, and I will be afraid to really talk to you. But if you listen with your heart you will hear this, and I will talk and you will listen, and the rainbow will seem to have more colour.

Keri Nordling