Listen Up! | Tuesday – Week 4
Listen instead of reading
Take a Moment
Ask God what He wants to show you before reading today
Read The Daily
Understand this, my dear brothers and sisters: You must all be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to get angry. (James 1:19)
Yeah…Uh huh…right…yes…sure.
I’m guilty of all of these when I’m really not paying attention to someone else. We have all learned key phrases that look like I’m hearing you, when I’m really not. My son was born profoundly deaf and I realized that he found the secret years ago. When someone would say something, he would smile really big and nod yes like he was really excited and agreed with them. I remember my wife saying, “he didn’t hear one word they said, but they are happy because he agreed with them”.
In a world filled with noise and distractions, it’s rare to find someone who truly listens. We often fall into the trap of waiting for our turn to speak, rather than genuinely hearing the words someone else is saying. If we’re honest, we’ve all been guilty of not really listening at times, nodding and smiling while just focusing more on what we want to say next.
But think about how it feels when we’re on the receiving end, when we’re the ones who aren’t truly heard. It leaves us feeling unheard and unknown. We can change that pattern and bless those around us by becoming intentional and active listeners. When we don’t listen, it not only makes others feel unheard, but it also leaves them feeling unknown and unloved. We must strive to change this and learn to listen.
Try this simple exercise: Take twenty seconds of silence and pay close attention to the sounds around you. What do you hear? The truth is, those sounds were already there, but we didn’t truly listen. That happens with people as well. They may be speaking, but we aren’t really hearing because our minds are elsewhere.
Prayer for the Day
God what are you showing me? What am I going to do about it?
God help me to see one person that I can serve through a kind word, random act of kindness, or simple gift today?
Make sure you complete the reading or comment today.
Read The New Testament In A Year
4 x 6 Plan | Read: Luke 22:63-71 ,Luke 23:1-5 & 2 Timothy 1:8-18