“My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19 NIV
I suppose if there is any consolation for the hearing loss Famous has suffered this year it is the fact that he is not bothered by fireworks exploding in our neighborhood this year. As we took our final stroll this evening, you could hear our neighbors’ dogs barking and howling behind closed doors as distant booms began to sound beyond the tree line. Famous was not distracted one bit. His world remained calm as we traced our way home in the warm and muggy night.
I have found that deep understanding requires me to speak less with the gain of comprehending more. For Famous, who can no longer hear me calling from another room, my words are empty. I doubt he can read lips (yet!), but he is beginning to understand my signs for taking a walk, come here, and eat. But in our world today there seems to be a lot of noise which causes people to shout and grow angry with one another. Attacking one another has become the new “normal” for what some are calling success. It would even behoove some of our nation’s leaders to be more “slow to speak.”
And as St. James has written, everyone should be involved in the process. To not listen is haughty, to speak quickly leaves us no room for interpretation, and to rush to anger leaves no time for forgiveness.
Help me today to create the time to listen to You, Father, so that I might better listen to my brothers and sisters.
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