The Wisdom of Listening
From a young age, my third child has always been an observer. Even now at the age of 10, he does an excellent job of observing with attentiveness whatever is in front of him. Because of this, he has some remarkable questions. But the questions don’t come out immediately. It takes time but when they come, the questions are deep and well thought through. Questions like “Did Peter physically take his eyes off of Jesus or just in a spiritual sense?”
Now, compare this to my older son. He has a high level of intelligence because he is very well-read and consumes a lot of information. But he does very little observing and tends to speak up rather quickly. Now, where does he get this from? Me. I’ve been guilty of giving advice without fully understanding the situation.
As we consider our various conversations with friends, co-workers, church family and our real family, do we actually hear what they say? Or are we already thinking through the next thing we’re going to say? Look at what it says in Proverbs:
“Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent.” Proverbs 17:28 ESV
If the goal of a conversation is to share the next thing on your mind, then the goal is not to care for the person we are talking too, to hear them, or to understand where they are coming from. The goal is for you to talk and be heard. The Bible calls this person worse than a fool. And if fools do choose to close their mouth and listen, they are considered to be wise!
It’s important to realize that by talking, you are not listening—which means you’ll miss hearing information that might add to your own knowledge and understanding of the world around you.
Now, let’s take this a step further. How do you interact with God in your time with Him? Are you always talking or are you listening? If you are constantly talking to Him, how do you expect to hear (and truly hear) what He has to say to you?
I have found myself caught up in consuming media. I can have quiet time, but it must include a video or a podcast or even an app to listen to the Bible. These aren’t bad choices. But there are times when I need to stop and sit in silence and just listen.
God considers the person who listens to be wise. We can practice wisdom by just listening. It shows care for others, and it leads to responses that matter. The same is true for our devotional time.
I encourage you to try it this week. Sit and just listen to those around you. In conversations with your spouse or a child or a friend, just listen. You’ll be amazed at what God can do with it.