Now you are aware, my beloved brethren! Yet every man should be swift to hear, tardy to speak, tardy to anger.
James 1: 19, Concordant New Testament
I was listening to someone on You Tube the other day as they explained why it was that they were an angry person at times. The answer, they claimed, was that they felt that others around them were seldom hearing what they were saying. I hear that a lot. More than a few women claim that the number one trait they consider in a man is his ability to listen to her. There is no doubt that our ability to those around us is a huge asset in our relationships with others. James, our Lords brother, stated that we should be swift to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger {James 1:19}. We all have known people in our own lives who could benefit from this advice. By listening to others we gain knowledge of the person we are talking to. I have known people that could get a good indication of the demeanor of a person within the first few moments of a conversation. Then there is the reality that each of us simply wants to be heard. We desire for others to hear what we are saying to them. All too often, our words validate how it is we are feeling. There is a reason why one of the best tools in the tool belt of every law enforcement officer is the ability to listen. When we are feeling stressed, more often than not we may find ourselves in the office of one who has been trained to listen to others. Those in the mental health field are very adept at listening to others. In the wake of this weeks mass shooting in Maine, I wonder if this tragedy could have been prevented if someone had simply listened to the troubled man who ultimately took so many lives. Unfortunately, we will never know the answer to that question. It is a well known fact that we feel validated when those around us give importance to our words. Jesus Himself made it a practice to listen to those around Him. As He confronted the woman caught in adultery, His response was to listen and not condemn her {John 8:1-11}. His response to the woman despised by others? "Neither do I condemn you" {John 8:11}. Much attention has been given to Jesus and the words He spoke, for good reason. However, it is Jesus who also listened to those around Him who simply desired someone to hear them.
"Everyone, then, who is hearing these sayings of Mine and is doing them shall be likened to a prudent man who builds His house on the rock"
Matthew 7: 24, Concordant New Testament
My own recent experience with a young lady who was homeless also taught me the value of listening. This young lady was ashamed of the choices she had made and longed to see her family once again. I listened as she spoke of the pain she dealt with each day in her life on the street. Instead of condemning her, I spoke to her of the love which the Father had for His children. That He was with her wherever she went. I like to think that my words and my ability to hear her had an impact on her life. Imagine a Sunday morning church service where instead of a sermon the pastor listened to the congregation! Better than that, imagine a Sunday morning service devoid of all of the trappings of institutional worship such as loud music, offerings and sermons. There is no doubt that when I think back upon the Sunday services I've missed I realize that, thankfully, I'm not missing out on much. The truth is, I can recall very few pastors whom I have met in my life who have had the ability to truly listen to others. In my opinion, if we expect our police officers to be able to listen to those troubled people they encounter, why not our pastors as well? Food for thought. It's no secret that, as humans, we are indeed social beings. We desire interaction. We desire to be heard by those around us. When we're not being heard, it often seems like things are out of balance. I have a group of people that I interact with at the gym I frequent. I did not form this group, nor did I hand pick the people who are in it. What I did do was listen and interact with these gym rats over time. There is now a small group of people who go about their daily routine at the gym while interacting with others. That's what it's all about folks.
And there came a cloud overshadowing them. And a voice came out of the cloud, saying, "This is My Son, the Beloved. Hear Him!"
Mark 9: 7, Concordant New Testament
~Scott~
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