A time to be quiet and a time to speak.
Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b NLT
There was a big discussion on the radio about communication; who speaks and who listens, and who does it well and who doesn’t, verbal and non-verbal. Of course, the basis of the discussion was male versus female forms of communication. So, we can all recall jokes or stories we’ve heard about miscommunication, some good, some just plain awful – and it really isn’t predicated on male/female indicators…mostly it’s just our human nature.
I confess there are times when I have a hard time knowing if I should speak or if I should just be silent. Of course, that’s no great surprise if you know me personally and know that I tend to have flare-ups of a chronic condition known as WSS, better known as Wet Sock Syndrome, derived from sticking my foot in my mouth. There’s an old quote that touts the virtue of twice as much listening as talking based on the two ears/one mouth equation. The older I get, the more I value the wisdom in that.
Ecclesiastes 3:1,7b NLT
There was a big discussion on the radio about communication; who speaks and who listens, and who does it well and who doesn’t, verbal and non-verbal. Of course, the basis of the discussion was male versus female forms of communication. So, we can all recall jokes or stories we’ve heard about miscommunication, some good, some just plain awful – and it really isn’t predicated on male/female indicators…mostly it’s just our human nature.
I confess there are times when I have a hard time knowing if I should speak or if I should just be silent. Of course, that’s no great surprise if you know me personally and know that I tend to have flare-ups of a chronic condition known as WSS, better known as Wet Sock Syndrome, derived from sticking my foot in my mouth. There’s an old quote that touts the virtue of twice as much listening as talking based on the two ears/one mouth equation. The older I get, the more I value the wisdom in that.
Thoreau once said, "It takes two to speak the truth - one to speak and another to hear", which brings me to the point of this topic for today’s Promise. Someone once asked the question, 'What is the opposite of talking?' Contrary to what most thought, the answer is waiting, not listening.
We can only hear if we’re waiting to hear, instead of being so busy formulating our own response that we aren’t listening. We all know people who do that, or they don’t wait for an answer. They spew and then go. That does not qualify as relationship, and yet we are called to be in relationship with our Lord.
Paul Tillich, one of the most well-known theologians of the 20th Century said, "The first duty of love is to listen." So, how many times are we guilty of talking to God and not waiting for a reply? Talk, talk, talk, talk, talk, talk…amen. And off we go, wondering why we don’t “hear from God.”
How much do we love Him? Are we waiting to hear what He has to say? It's true - "The first duty of love is to listen."
Prayer:
Father,
Forgive us for the times we have treated You as though You were there to take our dictation. Please speak, Father. We choose now to follow in Christ’s footsteps to speak and do only what we hear You say. Help us to fulfill our first duty of love. In Jesus’ Name we pray. Amen
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