Pathways Press.com

Written by Mike McGregor, a contemporary pastor and writer.

We are commanded as Christians to be good listeners. Obviously, if God commands us to do something that should be enough for us. But it’s also helpful to see the blessings in God’s commands. There are many blessings of being a good listener. One of them is it helps us avoid speaking foolishly…We shouldn’t be hasty to speak, but instead should train ourselves to listen well that our words might be a blessing. Additionally, one of the main blessings of listening is that it is an essential way in which we love others. Listening is really an application of the second greatest commandment to love others as ourselves… All of us are eager, even desperate for people to truly listen to us. There are actually robots people can buy that listen to them. Advancements in AI is making these robots more and more lifelike. This reveals a profound truth about us: we all fear that no one is listening to us. This is perhaps one of the reasons people are so obsessed with social media. We have Twitter and FB and Snapchat, because it gives us the feeling that someone out there is listening and they care. All of this reveals the golden opportunity Christians have to love people in a significant way simply by listening. We must understand that the question, “How are you?” isn’t a throwaway. How many people get asked that question by someone who truly cares and listens. Listening is loving. Or as Henry Nouwen said, “Listening is spiritual hospitality.” When you listen, you are creating a sacred space where someone is heard and listened to and cared for.

Let each of you be quick to listen; slow to speak, slow to become angry. [James 1:19]