Listen!

Never give up; you never know until you try.

I know I've written about this before, but I think we all probably need a refresher in this.  I certainly do.  Lately, I think God has been emphasizing to me the importance of listening.  I've noticed several interactions between others, and been in a few myself, wherein one party didn't really "listen" to the other.  When that happens, it creates and frustration.  We all want to be "heard" and understood--or at least accepted.

Psychologists and communication professionals tout the benefits of "active listening." Using "I" statements and paraphrasing can go a long way to avoiding miscommunication, but we must be willing to really hear what the other is saying.  We must also be willing to be honest with them (and ourselves) about what we think and feel, or we'll still be far from the outcome we desire.

Several times in Scripture, we find words to the effect that if we have ears to hear, we need to listen to what is being said. The issue is our willingness to really receive what the speaker is saying and do something about it and not just gloss over it or ignore it altogether.  As a friend pointed out recently, sometimes the speaker we don't hear (because of internal or external noise,) or that we ignore (from fear or prejudice) is our own voice.  It's our "gut" talking to us.  It's God's Holy Spirit guiding us.  If we allow the message to get lost in the clutter or if we ignore it, we do so at our own peril.

As I've told countless students, "Go with your gut!"