My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. James 1:19-20 NIV
These verses, like all of the book of James contain such practical, level headed advice on doing life, loving God and putting our faith into action.
Listening doesn’t look like action though – not how we might think – but it works big things.
“Much good happens in the space where nothing (seems to be) happening” Christa Wells, Singer/Songwriter
James urges us – be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to wrath.
How much better would we be if we did that more often.
We’d save ourselves a whole mess of trouble. How much back tracking and apologising and digging ourselves out of situations would we save ourselves. How many tears, how much worry?
And the listening comes first for a very good reason. To slow us down. To get our head straight.
Listen first – before anything else. Before shooting our mouth off or promising the world, before acting on offence or letting someone know what’s what, before trying to fix things or laying blame, having a dig or putting our twenty cents worth in.
When there are many words, transgression is unavoidable, But (she) who restrains (her) lips is wise. Proverbs 10:19
Now us ladies are relational and we like our words. We know they are powerful, that they can give life and mend hearts and make family of each other. We know to use them for good, to bless and encourage and build – good words are like gold but shutting us up when we’ve got a bone to pick or an axe to grind is no easy task. Oh its so easy to go there. And listening is the last thing we want to do when that nerves been hit or that line crossed. Its the very last thing we feel like doing when it’s blatantly unfair or we’ve just had enough.
But listen – to reason, good counsel, to all the facts, to the other side of the story, to the inner voice of our heart and above all let’s listen to God.
Listening can be hard when words and anger and self defence come so readily to us. And when we hurt, somehow we want to hurt back but what we really want is to feel safe and loved and cared for.
‘If God is speaking, then nothing else matters but listening” Brennan Manning
Listening means we have to close our mouths for a bit, lay our defences and arguments aside and be willing simply to receive. To sit at His table. To be loved. It takes a willingness to hear the truth. It takes trust.
We trust that if God is for us than nothing, not anything can really be against us (Romans 8:31). We trust that His Father heart is inclined toward us everyday and with every heart beat.
We trust that “we are held, held up and held together, by the One who has walked here and knows the pain, and who also holds all of time, every story, my story, your story, the Greatest Story in his hands. Christa Wells
We have to trust that God’s ways of doing things are ultimately and completely good. That His ways work righteousness that bring us life and move us forward and – – – – our ways of sorting things out – well they make a mess and get us stuck.
“Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear.” Matthew 11:15
Listening puts things in perspective.
Listening brings clarity.
Listening makes room for God. To keep us and love us and pour out that oil – to shape us from the inside out. To change how we move into and respond to this world.
And that in itself speaks volumes. It says more than all our words put together.
“Assurance grows by repeated conflict, – – – when we have been brought very low and helped, sorely wounded and healed, cast down and raised again, have given up all hope, and been suddenly snatched from danger, and placed in safety; and when these things have been repeated to us and in us a thousand times over, we begin to learn to trust simply to the word and power of God – – -” John Newton
Love to you all today
Tracey xx
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