Are you known as a listener? A quietist? Do you wait in stillness to hear God's truth? To learn how to be silent and listen in our noisy world is almost the secret of life.
"He who has ears to hear, let him hear." Matthew 11:15
"Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock." Matthew 7:24
These words run like a refrain through all the teachings of Jesus, and like all his words, they might have been spoken to me this morning.
Marketing studies indicate that the average attention span for adults is 22 seconds. (Think about television commercials, which usually last 15-30 seconds.) When someone has finished speaking, we remember about half of what we heard. Within a few hours we can only recall about 20 percent. (The Listening Center)
I know it is my responsibility to listen. But it is easier to blame others for my spiritual hiccups or lack of interest in a sermon that 'really doesn't interest me.' But with Jesus, he placed emphasis on hearing, reminding people (me!) of their responsibility in listening.
Spiritual leaders of today are those who know how to listen and wait. They hear not only what someone is saying, but what they are really thinking---often a very different thing. Too often we talk so much and listen so little.
What would happen if I tried to listen more? Would my marriage benefit? Would I be less irritated with my daughter - would it give way to an awareness of how God has uniquely made her?
"Be still and know that I am God." Psalm 46:10
