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Saturday, November 7, 2009

Spiritual Sundays - Listen

Many thanks of gratitude to Charlotte and Ginger, two wonderful and sweet ladies that bring us together on Sundays to share our thoughts, scriptures, testimonies and words of wisdom.  Please visit them by clicking on the blue sky to the right, and may your Sunday be blessed.

 the tea lovers devotional

From the Tea Lovers Devotional:

Listen

 

Everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger.  James 1:10

God in His great wisdom created mankind with two ears and only one mouth.  I'm sure that was because  He wanted us to listen twice as much as we speak.  Most of us are very poor listeners...I guarantee that if couples would take the time to become better listeners, their relationships would be improved through better understanding and increased patience.  (It's important to remember, though, that women tend to be better listeners than men, probably because most men immediately want to fix what is broken and consider listening a waste of time. To them, the solution is what's important; they want to go directly to the bottom line.)

So be brave and ask several of your trusted friends how they would rate you on your listening skills.  Be prepared to take their honest answers and act upon the information constructively.  Don't get into the trap of thinking you are much better at listening than so-and-so. Almost everyone is below par in this skill.

We will become better listeners when we realize how people value being heard.  It gives people an awareness that we care for what they have to say and that we truly love them.  Our own spirits are lifted up when those around us know we care for them.

Listening is truly an art form that can be mastered if we practice.  Observe yourself in a crowd, or even one-on-one, to see how you do.  Change comes when you know the truth.

Heart Action:  Listen to your husband/wife, your child, your friends, and to strangers with an attentive, caring mind and a compassionate, open heart.  You'll discover how much more you truly hear!"

I always get something that I need when reading anything written by Emilie Barnes.  She doesn't disappoint me with this little book that I so enjoy when taking a break with a nice, hot cup of tea.  As I read this section, I wondered "Do I listen to God, or is my mind like my mouth, going a mile a minute, thinking my own thoughts, rather than listening to the mind of God?"   I also wonder, “Am I letting the chatter of things around me drown out the voice of God?”   I must first practice listening to God, through the leading of the Holy Spirit, and through the reading of His Word.

I'm so glad you stopped by for a visit today...how I would love to sit down with you and listen to what is on your mind and heart! I really think when we listen to God and to others, we're better than we were before.  That's what we do here in blogland...we "listen" to each other, don't we?  When we're reading someone's blog, we're not talking to them, we're listening to them...and we usually leave there with a fullness that we didn't  have before.  That's why we develop friendships here...no sounds, just hearts quietly speaking out to each other.  I love that.

Let's all see how much we can hear today, by quieting our own voices, being still, and knowing that He is God!  Psalm 46:10

May you all be richly blessed ...have a wonderful Sunday!

Mary

19 comments:

  1. What a wonderful post. I admit that I often have my own agenda foremost in my mind and it interferes with my ability to hear the other things that are going on around me.

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  2. I think God must be telling me something. This is the second blog I've visited with this same message. The other blogger wrote about getting to a place of silence to be able to listen to God Speaking to us, and she asked, "What keeps you from silence?"
    And I thought about all the things I let get in the way of listening to God, and one of those ways is to have a million things running through my mind all the time, or letting my fears and my imagination run away with me instead of finding a place of peace, a place of silence and letting God Speak to me.
    And another easy way for me to listen to God would be to listen, REALLY listen to others in the way that God would want me to, with acceptance and love, even when the words they are speaking are not exactly what I want to be hearing.

    Thanks, so much, Mary, for this reminder.
    The way you feel about Emilie Barnes is the way I feel about reading here, I always get something that I need.
    Love and Prayers,
    Eileen

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  3. Oh Mary you are not going to believe this. I had been writing a scripture blog along with The Way We Are for several months. But try as I did, I never could seem to get anyone reading the scripture blog. Soo I felt the Lord telling me to start posting the scripture posts on my other blog and so I began to and I now have a few readers. My point in all this is that I have MANY MANY posts that are from my scripture blog that I am pulling up and somewhat revising and using, AND (here comes the point finally) I have one on this very subject based somewhat on the thoughts I got from reading that very devotional. I LOVE it. I have read and re-read it many times. I just seem to identify with her. Anyway, I had pulled it up and re-wrote it just a bit and had every intention of posting it for today's post. But I always pray before I post something and I honestly felt the Lord was telling me to go another way with something else. I argued with Him in my mind that this was something that needed to be said etc., but in the end I was obedient and went with something else. Even though that one was all ready to go and the other one still required an hour or two of work, haha OBVIOUSLY the Lord knew what you were doing and DOING SOO WELL and wanted something completely different from me...I don't know why I am always soo amazed when something happens that is soo obviously from God, and yet I am. I guess maybe it is because it seems amazing to me that He could know such tiny little details about our lives and have EVERYTHING under such perfect control. Anyway, needless to say, I thought this was soo good and soo true, at least maybe for me. I FREQUENTLY talk before I listen and have gotten myself into trouble with that time and time again. I have had to train myself to truly listen when someone talks and not let my mind race ahead to my reply (or retort) instead. And I have found this to be so true. The more I have listened to people, the more compassionate my heart has become and the more I see things through His eyes. Thanks for sharing this and for being part of my "God moment". Have a wonderful day of worship!! Love, Debbie

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  4. Mary, this is a wonderful post and something I definitely needed to "hear"...lol. Seriously, I know this is a weak area in my life, and I think you for the reminder.

    Jane

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  5. Good post. It is amazing how just listening can be used to help someone that is going through hard times. When people talk to another about tough things (or anything for that matter) it helps the person who is talking to get a clearer understanding just by saying things out loud. The gift of communication is a blessing and there does have to be a listener ;-)

    My post for spiritual sunday is on my regular nannykim blog here: http://nannykim-nannykim.blogspot.com/2009/11/thankful-again.html

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  6. Hi Mary,
    This is a wonderful post full of inspiration and guidance. I have always been a better listener than a talker. My hubby does the talking, but then he's the preacher too! Thank you for sharing and have a beautiful Sunday.

    Blessings,
    Sandi

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  7. Hi Mary.....That was very inspiring and food for thought! Your posts always make me stop and think. I know I owe you an email reply....I promise I will do it soon! Have a wonderful Sunday!~Hugs, Patti

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  8. Mary, you are one wise woman. I know you don't want to hear that and don't feel that you are---but believe me--you are. Thank you for posting these wise words today.

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  9. Mary, I needed to hear the message about listening with the heart. I often make excuses for myself that I can't slow down enough to listen. But the real truth is that I have learn to be more caring and give more respect to other people's feelings. Spiritual Sunday is about learning, so thank you!

    Yoli :)

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  10. Dear Mary, it's taken me many years to learn to listen more and talk less. There are times when it is a struggle but I've also learnt so much about others and myself in the process. For me, listening is much better than talking :o)
    Have a blessed Sunday too.
    Hugs

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  11. Mary,
    This post touches my heart. There is an art to listening. I need to pray about this often.
    Thank-you for this wonderful post.
    God Bless,
    Ginger

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  12. Dear Mary I loved your post. Yes, I think I should sit back and listen more. This was a great reminder of what is really important in our life. Thank you for your lovely post.

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  13. Excellent post, and this is a great statement: "Listen to your husband/wife, your child, your friends, and to strangers with an attentive, caring mind and a compassionate, open heart. You'll discover how much more you truly hear!" Good read.

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  14. Emilie Barnes writes beautiful books. Thanks for sharing that.

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  15. Hi sister. Came really quick to let you know that the comment you had left me touched me so much because the reality of the danger some inmates face, physically and spiritually, is real! That was a sad story you told me. Being in a small cell, feeling hopeless a lot of times, and whatever situation they left outside from their homes, drive these people to end their lives. Blessings to you sister and thank you always for your encouragement.

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  16. Thank you so much for leaving me a comment because it is how I found your beautifully written post. Thank you for sharing your wise words and reminding everyone to talk less and listen more.

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  17. Thank you for another wonderful post. I enjoy Emilie Barnes books, but I don't have this one. I'll add it to my wish list. Developing better listening stills is something I need to be working on, especially when God is speaking to me.

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  18. This is an excellent post and so timely. It seems that the Lord is dealing with many of us on controlling our mouths and on hearing His voice.I find it is the getting quiet so that I can hear Him that is hard. Thank you for such an insightful post!

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