Shhhhh......

The other day I was reading in my Daily Guideposts devotional and found this prayer someone had written for themselves but as I read it, I swear must have been written just for me!

Lord, please help me to be less of an opinionated know-it-all and more of a quiet notice-it-all.    -  Marci Alborghetti

Can anyone else besides me relate to this?  

• I am too quick to judge. 
• I forget that there is a benefit to listening and assessing the situation before acting like Miss Know-It-All! 
• I like to think I can listen and design my wise and wonderful reply, both at the same time.  (I don't know why, I can't pat my head and rub my tummy at the same time...)

Of course, and I am certain of this, everyone will want to know my opinion because everything I say is insightful and knowledgeable and beneficial so I better prepare my response!  That is my usual MO (modus operandi).  But do you know what I think really happens?  I might not hear some of the details of the conversation.  So I end up making assumptions about the details I am not hearing!  And we all know about assuming, right?  Assume makes an ass out of u and me! 

Rather, though, I should heed God's words.  In Proverbs 18:13 it says that "He who answers before listening--that is his folly and his shame." 


There is a famous proverb that says something like we have two ears and one mouth so we should listen twice as much as we speak.   I also read somewhere once that our failure to listen to wise words only diminishes ourselves but the person who shared this wisdom with us suffers no loss.  So we should listen more - active, productive listening could lead us to be of assistance to someone or it could lead us to pearls of wisdom that might bear on our lives!

That makes me think of my dad, as do so many things these days.  He was an awesome listener!  Dad would actually focus on your conversation and then stop and think before responding!  If a pearl of wisdom was not readily available, Dad was not afraid to suggest that we think about it, give it some time.  And I'm sure Dad prayed about it and did think about it because he always came up with an answer which was usually THE answer!


 
On the day of Dad's funeral, I remember staring out at the lake and thinking how much Dad would have loved the sight before me - pristine snow, wind blowing it across the lake, a beautiful blue sky and sunshine sparkling on the snow - and I asked God to help me be more like my dad in every way possible.  At that moment, an eagle (one of my dad's favorite birds) flew across the shore of the lake and I knew that Dad was going to be fine and that God would help me to continue Dad's legacy of kindness and caring and love and spirituality here on earth!  Thanks, Dad, for being a light in my life and for your example of how to live it!



So each day when I begin my prayers and readings, I begin with Eli's instructions to Samuel in I Samuel 3:9  "Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening."  And I am!