THE ART OF LISTENING

I used to have this friend who was a terrible listener. She was funny and charismatic and a ton of fun, but if I ever needed to share something important, she checked out. Her mind wandered and she had no filter on her mouth, so we could be talking about my prayers for a new job in one sentence and her new shoes in the next. In fact, usually the converstion turned itself to be all about her.
I actually really liked this person, but I found myself sharing less and less with her, and eventually we lost touch.
Hm.
I've been thinking.
Am I a good listener? I think good listening is an art. It's intentional.
Do you remember someone in your life who really listened to you? I do. It felt like they were investing in me.
And taking it one step further, how often do I intentionally "listen" to God? Do I set aside time to be still? Or do I let my thoughts wander, randomly shooting off my mouth, turning the conversation around to be all about me? I don't want to reach the point where I lose touch.
In Haiti I was intentional about taking short moments to really listen. I think it was because so many things were new and strange. I looked into faces that made me pause and listen. I invested my heart.

I'm taking some time this week to listen. To really listen. Because most of the time, what I'm saying doesn't really matter all that much. And I want to start hearing what does.