Listen

Yesterday I had a really good conversation with a friend I consider very wise.

He’s not in my everyday, every week or even every month routine. But whenever we connect he listens and speaks directly, with candor and from experience. I try to spend most of these conversations listening, if I can. I try not to be very open to his words: allow that he may be more right than me or his point of view on my situation could be deeply helpful even though he only has parts of the story.

I don’t take that approach in all conversations, probably not even in most conversations. But the older I get, the more people like that I am finding around me. I like that.

It seems like what we listen to matters.

So much of Jesus’ authority on earth was communicated through his words: healing, forgiveness, exorcisms even resurrections happened at his command. It’s conspicuous also, that Jesus commissions followers to announce the reign and to teach people. He even tells his disciples at one point that their words on earth carry power in heaven. Paul, the author of Romans, exclaims that the feet which carry the voice that speaks the Gospel are beautiful, because the only way people will be able to believe in God’s goodness is if they hear someone tell them.

What are you listening to?

Audio content, like everything else these days, is right at our fingertips all the time. We can fill our ears with so much sound. I’m realizing again, that what goes in there has some power.

I am growing a habit of seeking out opportunities to listen to wisdom that knows me, and Gospel that revives me.

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