Thought for Tuesday, February 12th

February 12, 2013

A Worthwhile Conversation

What components are needed to qualify a conversation as being worthwhile?

Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me.

Revelation 3:20

My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me:  And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.

John 10:27-28

“A real conversation changes the people who have it.”

-       Jennifer Braunschweiger

The idea of a conversation implies that there are multiple participants.  Hence each participant would have varying roles to play in the course of any verbal interaction.  At times one would be the speaker: while all others would be the listeners and of course any individual, at any point in time, could change roles.  In fact, for true conversation to occur – this is essential – otherwise you don’t have a conversation, you have a lecture.

Spiritually speaking this same principle holds true when it comes to our conversations with the Heavenly Father.  Sadly, many of us tend to be very adept at the role of speaker, but our listening skills often are somewhat lacking if not almost absent.  We often have a lot to tell God: but do we ever stop to allow Him to tell us what is on His mind?

Remember we call our involvement with Him – a relationship.  To have a relationship requires communication, which thus requires that we not only participate as a speaker but also as a listener.

I contend that we might be better served, especially when it comes to our conversations with God, if we actually would give more time to listening to Him than we do to trying to get our points across to Him.

Every time we have a truly meaningful conversation with God we can not help but come away from it somehow changed.

If you find you are coming away from conversations with God the same as you were when you started: then maybe there might be a need to asses the paradigm of how much time you talk versus how much time you listen.

Today’s Prayer

Father, I know you always look forward to hearing what I have to say to you each day: but may I be equally enthusiastic about what you want to say to me and may I be willing to take the time to listen as well as you do.