Listening
“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,”
-James 1:19
It is not always apparent to us that we are not listening, but what is noticeable is when we feel like we are not being listened to. How many of you have felt what it is like to not be listened to? That feeling is terrible. Listening is a vital skill for any relationship. So often we want to make sure that our needs, wants, and struggles get heard, but at the same time we need to listen to one another. I hate to imagine a world where no one listened. What a terrible place that would be? We would all constantly feel that lonely feeling that no one is listening to us. Everyone needs to have someone listen to them. The trouble is that many times we are either too concerned with our own needs or we see listening to others as a burden. The truth is that God has given us the privilege to be able to be there to listen to one another. Our relationship with God should be the model for all of our relationships. God listens to us all. So when we listen to one another, we are sharing the love of God. This works in all of our relationships. When we first meet someone we show them hospitality by listening to them. In our everyday lives, we show we care when we listen to others. In our intimate relationships, we show our trust and love for one another when we listen. I could go on and on with how we show the love of God when we listen but it may be better to look at what happens when we don’t listen.
