The Precious Gift of Listening
Listening is a precious gift that one person gives to another. Listening says, “You matter. What you say is important. I care about your story. I care about what you feel. I care about what has happened to you. I care about your fears, your goals, and your longings. I care about your joys and your triumphs.”
Listening is a smart thing to do. Those who listen learn.
A wise man will hear and increase in learning,
And a man of understanding will acquire wise counsel . . .
Proverbs 1:5-6
Listening is a preventative. The wise listener avoids trouble.
. . . everyone must be quick to hear,
slow to speak and slow to anger;
for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God.
James 1:19-20
Listening is humble. Listening says, “I don’t know everything. I have lots to learn. I respect what you have to tell me.”
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit,
but with humility of mind regard one another
as more important than yourselves;
do not merely look out for your own personal interests,
but also for the interests of others.
Philippians 2:3-4
And, wonder of wonders, the God Who made the universe, the God Who loves us, the God Who sent His Son to die for us, the God Who pushes wildflowers up through the ground every spring and causes them to bloom, listens to you and me.
I love the Lord,
because He hears My voice and my supplications.
Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
Psalm 116:1-2