Become A Better Listener

So many times we find ourselves repeating what we have said to someone because they weren’t really listening. Perhaps their minds were wandering while we were talking. Maybe they had something troubling on their minds. It could be there were distractions which kept them from hearing. However, it happens more often than not. Not everyone listens.

We know there have been times when others weren’t listening to us and we had to repeat our words. But what about the times we haven’t listened? We all know, if we were honest, there have been times we weren’t paying attention at all to what someone said to us. We were busy working, on the Internet or just thinking about what we were going to say next. It takes practice and discipline but we really need take time to become a better listener.

We really miss out on things when we don’t take time to listen. We could miss a specific instruction, important date or breaking news. We may miss out on conversations, people’s names and certain times for appointments. We miss out because we were busy thinking about whatever was on our minds. We miss out because we believe what we have to do is more important than what is being said.

Missing out on important pieces of conversations with others is unfortunate; however, it is more unfortunate when we don’t take time to listen to God. So many times we talk to Him, we talk at Him, we talk about Him but how many times do we really listen? The wisdom that comes from God is far greater than anything we need to hear on earth. When we miss out on listening to God, we miss out on extremely important instructions and guidance for our lives.

Luke 10:39 “Her sister, Mary, sat at the Lord’s feet, listening to what he taught.”

It’s time we made an effort to listen to God. We need to make a practice of becoming a better listener with others and with God. To become a better listener, we have to get rid of all distractions. We need to focus on who is talking and what they want to communicate to us. It would be helpful to repeat it back or write it down. It would be helpful to put down and turn away from all distractions while they are talking. We need to give them the attention they deserve and the attention we would want to have if we were talking.

When God speaks to us, we need to listen. We need to give Him the time He deserves when reading His word, worshipping Him and listening to Him. Listening is as important in our communication with Him as everything else. He may speak to us through other people. He may speak to us in our thoughts. He may speak to us through a Bible verse. However He speaks, we need to be aware and ready for His message.

When we take time to improve our listening skills, we can show others we really care. When we take time to improve our listening skills with God, we can learn so much more about what He wants us to do. We need to put aside our conce
s in life when it is time to listen. It’s not always about us and we need to take time to find out what others need and what God wants us to do so we can make a difference.

Proverbs 19:27 “If you stop listening to instruction, my child, you will turn your back on knowledge.”