Love requires listening.

It is the sense of openness which should guide your relationships with others. It is that same approach that applies in dealing with relationships on a much larger scale—between groups of people, between regions, between religions, between nations. It is openness that is critical. You cannot respond with love if you don’t hear what is being asked. Sometimes individuals do not ask. They demand, they state an opinion, or they carry themselves in a way that says much about them. By being open to these various cues, you are providing yourself with an opportunity to respond. This is important as you interact with all human beings.

Be open with your heart. Be open with your eyes. Be open with your ears. Be open with your arms. Be receptive, be loving, be ready, but never be closed, for when another expresses a need it may not be expressed intentionally. It may be a glance. It may be a gesture, something subtle. Being loving means being open to these subtle energies that are sent out in all directions. This is the way you respond to all with whom you gather in your daily activities. Some individuals insist on prying, almost meddling, into the affairs of another in the hopes of trying to be helpful. But that never works.

If you pray for peace, however that is manifest, be open to the cries for peace and respond through prayer. That prayer may lead to action. It may lead to further listening. It may lead to merely being there, but your prayers will always give you direction in your response to others.