I caught myself again yesterday asking my wife a question. Then she answered it. Then a few minutes later I don’t remember what she told me and I had to ask again, ashamedly admitting that I was hearing her answer but not listening to her. I am, after all, a human male with a default setting in his head to hear but not listen.
Take, for instance, the man driving up a steep, narrow mountain road. A woman is driving down the same road. As they pass each other the woman leans out the window and yells, “PIG!” The man immediately leans out his window, turns back to her car having passed by, and hopes she can hear him yell, “WITCH!” In just that instant, before he could turn back to look at the road, the man’s car thudded into something massive in the middle of the road. A pig.
“To answer before listening—that is folly and shame” (Proverbs 18:13). We think actually listening to someone might be unprofitable. Risky. Time consuming. But the greater danger is not listening. It’s amazing what blessing and opportunity come to those who listen.
Case in point: Mary. Jesus visited her and Martha and they both welcomed him into her home. Martha could hear Jesus while she hustled and bustled in the kitchen. Mary listened to Jesus and, according to Jesus himself, chose what is better.
Mary was blessed by listening. You will be, too. “Listen to him,” God the Father instructs us about his Son Jesus (Matthew 17:5).
Our Father reminds all of us who are quick to speak, to analyze, to conclude, to have the answer … “Listen to him.” Jesus, that is. Listen to Jesus.
So welcome his words of grace and guidance recorded in the Bible. Contemplate when he answers prayer and how he blesses your life. Appreciate more the age-old stories of his suffering and death, and of the acts and struggles of his disciples.
Be quiet. Stop thinking you have all the answers. Do more listening.
PRAYER: Lord Jesus, I perceive so very little of how you bless me in my life. Pride, distractions, other loyalties are like earplugs that keep me from enjoying your love. Help me to be more aware of your blessings in my life, and to take to heart what you say to encourage me, forgive me, and lead me on. Amen.
FURTHER MEDITATION: What does quality listening look like when you are in a conversation with someone? Are the same dynamics important for you listening to Jesus’ words?
