Listening

Open my ears, Lord. Teach me to listen.

—Bob Cull

 

LISTENING

 

Poet Edward H. Richards wrote: “A wise old owl sat on an oak. The more he saw, the less he spoke. The less he spoke, the more he heard. Why aren’t we like that wise old bird?”  God’s Holy Bible gives similar advice in the book of James. “Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry . . .” (1:19). Those are good words to live by, don’t you think?

 

My mom used to say that God gave me two beautiful ears but only one mouth because He expects me to listen twice as much as I speak. Do you know how hard that is for an opinionated person like me? I am learning to reel in the excesses of my personality, and I’ve found that we can learn a lot just by being good listeners. In fact, there are too many talkers in our world and not enough listeners.

 

I propose that we make better use of our two beautiful ears today. Are you listening? I hope so. Now it’s my turn to get quiet.

 

Live It!

Today, practice the discipline of listening. Be careful not to talk over others. Count to five before responding to anything.