Ecclesiastes 3:7, “time to tear, And a time to sew; A time to keep silence, And a time to speak;”
What I did not mention in my last blog is the reaction to the young woman he was talking to about his divorce. This young woman wanted nothing to do with him. She was sitting sideways, her eyes were partially sneering and she was not making any eye contact with him. Everything about her body language said, “I want nothing to do with this conversation.” The funny part is that this guy told her she was a great listener, but she was doing anything but that.
As God does a lot in our lives He gives us a time to just listen to people. I had the fortunate opportunity to sit next to her on the plane. The first statement I made was that I could tell she did not want to be part of the conversation. Right away she loosened up, and then I asked if he even heard her say that she was the child of a late divorce and thought it hurt the kids no matter the age and did not want to really talk about it. She then started to tell me her life and some of the things that happened, all because she knew I had listened.
By the time I finished our conversation I knew her job, where she grew up, where she graduated high school, what she was doing and why she was in Charlotte, NC. She knew nothing about me at all and that was alright. People love for someone to just hear them and listen to what they have to say. I was able to ask her about her faith, because she knew I was really listening and not just trying to “save” her. Turned out that her friend was a very strong Christian and she said she was more of a mediocre Christian. We were able to talk about why and since I knew exactly where she lived at we talked about some of the churches she visited and I suggested a church that I was just told about a few days earlier by my cousin. All this because she felt special because I listened.
Another reason to listen to everyone because we do not know when the information we heard from someone else will be useful in another situation. Had I not truly listened to my cousin about the church they were attending, I would not have been able to suggest a church where I was comfortable for her to go.
As believers we need to listen to others. We need to be patient in our speech, and really listen, as it tends to give us great opportunity to reach people for Christ. To open our mouths without listening to what the other person was telling us verbally and bodily will tend to do more damage then good. Remember we will be held account for what we say here as believers. We represent Christ.
Matthew 12:36-37, “But I say to you that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.”
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