THE PRESENT
“Blah blah blah blah
blah.” My best friend Jane was talking, but my mind was racing ahead on
something else, and I didn’t hear a word she said. Some of us have the habit of
letting our minds go ahead of where our bodies are. We’re already thinking
about the next thing, and our focus strays from the present moment. Sometimes,
we get lazy and let our minds wander off. But this isn’t a good thing; it isn’t
considerate of others. And if we want to get good at hearing from the Lord, we must
practice listening better to people, especially those we care about.
First, John 4:20 says: “For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen,
how can he love God whom he hath not seen?” Listening does take some real
effort, especially if you know you’re not that good at it. People want to be
heard. They want to have people interested in their lives. Listening is an act
of love.
There are more verses in
the Bible about God listening to us than verses saying we need to listen
to Him. That’s because God is love, and He’s an expert at listening. If we want
to be more like Him, we have to want to be good listeners.
Here are a couple of ideas
that can help:
1. As soon as you can, after a conversation, go over the conversation in your
mind and try to write down what the other person said. If you know you’ve
missed some things, apologize and try to remember to ask them again later. Most
people will forgive you and be glad you made an effort to ask again.
2. If you ask a question and get a complicated answer, or you aren’t clear on
the person’s answer, repeat it back to the person to see if you got it right.
These are two straightforward and practical ways to build listening skills with
people. But we can also use these with the Lord. If you feel He’s telling you
something, write it down. If you’re unclear on what He’s saying to you, repeat
it back to Him. He’ll let you know if you got it. Remember, He loves you. He’s
a great listener and wants us to be great at it too. “MY
SHEEP HEAR MY VOICE” (John 10:27).
To live in the moment is a
gift. That’s why it’s called the present!
“Who hath ears to
hear, let him hear” (Matt. 13:9).
Love, Carolyn
Are you wanting to live a more spiritual life? I have a variety of books and booklets on
living a more spiritual Christian life. You’ll find the keys to receiving your
heart’s deepest desires. 😊
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