It was a rough morning at the Collie house. 

I was frustrated. I felt like I was raising my voice too often, and I felt like I was goading everyone to do every. single. thing. they needed to do.

When I asked a-kid-who-shall-remain-nameless to do a tiny twenty second task for the thirdtime, I may have sounded part Mama bear, part screech owl. 

Yes, I’m just that classy.

For the bread of God is he who comes down
from heaven and gives life to the world.

 

John 6:33

 

Last week we discussed something Jesus consistently did in conversations that involved disagreements:

Jesus asked great questions.

I hope you tried it this week – asking a question does so much to help the person across from you let down their guard instead of putting it up. Questions build bridges while hasty responses burn them. 

Questions also lead into another skill we can practice to help find middle ground in the middle of our disagreements.

See, when I think back to why I wanted to screech and throw large objects after that long ago rough morning at the Collie house (okay, it was this morning) I realized I could encapsulate all my frustrations inside a four word statement:

I didn’t feel heard.

I wanted someone (well, everyone, actually) to listen.

And once we’ve started the journey of asking questions and trying to build bridges, we can follow in the footsteps of Jesus in another way:

Jesus really listened. (And still listens.)

Jesus listened to the ruler who came and worshiped Him, saying “My daughter has just died, but come and lay Your hand on her and she will live.” {See Matthew 9}

He listened to the woman at the well as she asked her questions. And when she changed the subject, He still found a beautiful way to share the truth. {See John 4}

He listened to the heartache of the man at the pool of Bethesda. Jesus asked if he wanted to be well and he said, “I have no one to help me when the pool is stirred up!!!” {See John 5}

And He listens to me, and to you, dear one.

Do you believe God listens to you?

We believe in a God that hears all our prayers, right? We know we don’t know everything – we know we don’t have it all right – but He doesn’t immediately correct us. 

With time, His kindness leads us to a better understanding of His goodness, His world, and our place in it.

What if we extended that same grace to each other – and tried to practice that a bit more this week? What if we used our two ears twice as much as our one mouth, and helped the people around us feel heard? 

Dear one, it’s impossible that no offenses will come. Until this world is made perfect and we know even as we are known, we are not going to see eye to eye on everything. 

We can build bridges for truth to cross if we’re willing to set aside the desire to “say our piece” and instead seize the opportunity to listen with peace.

This week let’s add to the practice of good questions the practice of listening to the answers, and trying to really hear the heart of the person across from us.

You might just save someone from going screech owl and throwing things. 

P.S. Did you hear what I made for you? I created a new resource called Guided Sacred Space. It’s a series of Scriptures with prompts for prayer that are meant to invite you into a quiet moment with God, perhaps differently from how you normally meet Him, or perhaps for the first time if you’re new to spending time with God. I hope this resource serves you well and welcome your feedback!

 

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