You Need To…

You need to… is usually a poor way to continue a conversation. Listening is becoming more and more of a lost art.

Listening to Others

Have you noticed how little listening takes place these days? Everyone has something to say but few are able or willing to listen. A pause in the middle of a story is the perfect opportunity to jump in with what I’ve been thinking about while you’ve been talking. We all have so much to learn from each other maybe we should listen more.

Rearview Mirror

“The more I’ve listened to God, the more I’ve realized I don’t always catch what God is up to in real time either. Some people speak with a great deal of authority about what God is doing right now. I’m always amazed because I can never figure out God that quickly. I usually understand what God is doing by seeing it through the rearview mirror. Only then can I connect the dots, and even then, it’s a pretty dodgy sketch. Maybe that’s why the Bible described what we are often doing as looking through a mirror dimly. The Bible says that right now we only know “in part” and that one day, after we’ve gone, we’ll know “in full.” That makes more sense to me because it means our understanding will always have gaps and gaps are good because they leave room for God to fill in the spaces.” – Bob Goff, Love Does

Patiently Listening

For the last few weeks I’ve been pondering and praying about the best way to move some planters from the yard onto the deck. I’ve researched on the www and asked around but didn’t feel like I had the right idea so I kept praying and waiting. Then yesterday as I was praying, it suddenly occurred to me as natural as can be.

This kind of thing raises questions with people. Do you think God gave you the idea? Does God really concern Himself with such little things? I think that together God and I came up with the plan and that absolutely He cares about the smallest of details in our lives. We just have to wait, listen and recognize.

More Intimacy

In order to join in God’s plans we have to develop the ability to recognize His voice. I wish there were an easy way to do this but for me it has taken many mistakes; hearing what I thought might be Him but deciding it wasn’t, only to know later that it was. God is talking to us all the time, we just need to slow down and listen.