Listen to Life (Part 2)

"How do we listen to the reality of life and pray within it? The first step is to divest ourselves, as far as possible, of preconceived expectations of life. We have all been impressed by the rather simple souls who take life as it comes. They have an abiding awareness that there are many things in life which we do not and cannot control. They are often the most spiritual people we know because they listen to life and pray. Our unrealistic expectations of life are grist for the mills of neurosis. They cause us to worry, and then our prayer becomes a futile attempt to control God. We are so busy deciding what advice to give God about how to govern the world, and are so set in our needs and expectations of life, that we are unable to listen to any of life's real messages. Consequently, our prayer becomes an expression, albeit an intriguing one, of our own illusions."
~Benedict Groeschel