As we consider answering the call, we stand in the place of “yes.” As David mentioned in last week’s Pulse of Spirit, this is a reciprocal experience. The initial quote comes from Isaiah: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear. “These words come from the creator. And there is an invitation into creative experience when we take that same stance—when we answer before we are asked.
It may seem the answer is simply “yes.” But yes, to what?
I was raised to be obedient—to my parents, my teachers, and my leaders. Yet, I have a mind that likes to challenge data to ensure it makes sense, which has often tested that call to obedience. As I reflect on the “answer” spoken of in scripture, it is vital to realize the true answer is “Here am I.” It is not “Yes, whatever you say” as an obedient follower. The true obedience is to be present and available for the pattern of life and love to manifest.
The primary instruction for this stance is given in the Great Commandment:
“And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength.”
— Mark 12:30
This is the template for answering. When we listen with all our heart, our loving heart receives the request and provides the answer. We ask from a place of love: What would love have me do here? What would love have me see as a possibility? What would love have me hear? What can I do for the greatest revelation of the love I offer? I am here with a vibrational “yes” to Love.
When I think of Moses, he offered a big “yes” to the call. Seeing the burning bush, his response was, “Here am I,” and he listened from a place of love. Yet, guidance rarely arrives so “biblically”. As David Whyte writes in his poem The Truelove:
…we are all
preparing for that
abrupt waking,
and that calling,
and that moment
we have to say yes,
except it will
not come so grandly,
so Biblically,
but more subtly
and intimately in the face
of the one you know
you have to love
It can sound cliché to say “love is the answer,” but we truly hear the answer when we love with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength. Love uses every opportunity to create living forms. The classic Jackson 5 lyric often runs through my mind: “Where there is love, I’ll be there… Just call my name, I’ll be there.” It is so close to the quote from Isaiah, though perhaps it should be reversed: “Wherever I am, love is there.”
As we love with all our capacity, we invite others into this experience—inviting them to see and hear with the eyes and ears of love. I once tried to encourage a new way of seeing with someone, suggesting, “Let’s be honest about the things that push each other’s buttons—let’s make this conscious!” I received a firm “no.” They were unwilling to meet me in that space, and I realized I hadn’t read the field well. I wasn’t truly listening for the opportunity.
Still, holding space for our sensitivities remains a worthy stance, allowing us to listen, see with the eyes of love, and live in the vibration of “yes.”
When we adopt this reciprocal stance—answering before being asked—we begin to see the field through love. We see circumstances and people differently. As a server, I see the beauty and potential in those around me, genuinely invested in their victory. Holding that vibrational “yes” allows others to see themselves anew—full of potential and gifts.
Years ago, a deeply respected friend challenged me, saying I wasn’t being true to myself. He told me he knew who I was and that I was settling for something that denied my true nature. His words stung, but they were rooted in love. Because of his discipline in saying yes to the love he knew, he could see me differently than I saw myself. I didn’t feel beaten down; I felt released and invited: “Come up here, see what I see.”
We are here to answer the call not only for ourselves, but for our immediate world and the planet as a whole. Can you see the glory, wonder, and beauty of this planet—the magnificence of its design? Seeing with that vision means holding a vibrational “yes” to stewardship. You are ready before you are asked.
It is important to remember that when we say yes, we are also saying “no”. No to the habits that might be familiar but are unsatisfying, no to the judgment that we have nothing to offer or that we can’t trust ourselves to bring a creative yes. We may have to bring that no to another person. I have dealt with people who have a habit of disrespecting the atmosphere and want to have “their say” or the final word. NOPE! This substance belongs to Love and I will protect it and assist its flourishing.
Whether as a teacher, coach, or server, we encounter unique opportunities daily. What you see, hear, or have to offer is an essential piece to bring forward. In working together, we recognize and draw forth what another has to offer. When we love with all our heart, mind, soul, and strength, we nurture our fields so they might thrive/ We inspire, celebrate, and support the creative cycles and people we are blessed to serve.
It may not come biblically. We might not be parting the Red Sea. But we may be seeing a person’s heart, which for them may be a first-time experience, or we may be offering safety to a hungry soul. We are offering the answer before being asked:
I am here.
I see you
I’ll be there