Failure To Listen Is Failure To Love
When we come before the Lord, do we just talk or do we also listen? Since it is foolish to only tell others what we think – and ‘others’ must assuredly include the Lord – we should be listening to them and Him as well. We ought to be more invested in listening than in speaking (James 1:19). When we listen to God, He can reveal Himself to us, guide us, and make us wiser in the process. We better learn what He wants. He knows and desires what is best. Yet, listening takes work.
In the same way, we need to listen to people. Proverbs 18:4 (NCV) reminds us that it can take persistence to try to understand what a person is really saying. We should listen for what feelings are being expressed, look at their body language, listen to their voice tone, and reflect not just on what they are saying but also on what they are not saying. Then, we listen to the Lord to determine when we ought to respond. We also reply with tact and love (Proverbs 11:9, CW).
What can be some of the results of listening to others? Listening shows that we respect and value them enough to try to understand them. It indicates that we are intelligent and makes it more likely that what we say will be worth listening to Being a good listener also honors God (Ecclesiastes 5:7, CW).
Each person has their own story. They each have an adventure to share if we demonstrate that we really want to hear it. I imagine sharing stories of God’s loyal love in our earthly lives will be an important aspect of our future life. In the end, both sharer and listener can be enriched.
Moral blindness reflects and further feeds our pride.