"Post this at all the intersections, dear friends: Lead with your ears, follow up with your tongue, and let anger straggle along in the rear. God’s righteousness doesn’t grow from human anger. So throw all spoiled virtue and cancerous evil in the garbage. In simple humility, let our gardener, God, landscape you with the Word, making a salvation-garden of your life."
I want to be a better listener. I've never had a problem with the talking part, or the sharing-my-opinion part. It's the listening part that trips me up. I have to slow down sometimes and remember how blessed I am before I get caught up in the deadly cycle of complaining. The very act of listening is rooted in the understanding that other people have value, deserve respect, and reflect the image of God. When we look through the eyes of faith we cannot simply complain about one another or degrade someone we do not fully understand. We must listen and in listening we often learn how valuable our differences of opinion really are.
When we slow down and ground ourselves in the beauty of the gift of life, looking around and recognizing God's handiwork, it is pretty difficult to complain. How can we be dissatisfied customers when there is so much evidence of God's design in our midst!
What situation(s) have you complained about recently? When is the last time you were intentional about building up and encouraging before complaining? How might these troublesome situations or individuals actually be opportunities for learning more about yourself?
My prayer for tonight is this:
God of kindness, mercy, and love ground me in the depths of your forgiveness. Help me to listen more than I speak, to build up rather than tear down. Teach me to work with and see your image in those with whom I struggle. Speak boldly to my Spirit that I might recognize Your still small voice in the midst of the noise in my life. Amen.
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