Today’s verse should be the subtitle of a course called “Relationships 101.”
When my husband and I argue, inevitably someone ends up having to say, “Let me finish.” In the heat of an argument, it feels increasingly important to make myself heard and understood. This comes at the cost of hearing and understanding my husband. I assume I already know what he’s going to say and try to skip forward to what I want to say. And this, obviously, is a recipe for disaster, communication-wise.
God has a better way. The right way. As they say, God gave us two ears but only one mouth for a reason.
Being eager to listen and patient about adding my two cents is valuable advice when it comes to any relationship, any time a conflict is waiting in the wings.
If I get in a fender bender and come flying out of my car spouting invective and self-righteous indignation, conflict is certain to ensue. The more heated I begin, the more contentious the conflict and the more damaging the consequences will be, and not just to my car.
If I hop out of my car eager to listen to the other person instead, and keep my adrenaline-fueled emotions to myself, I may learn that the person driving the other car is having a medical emergency. Or perhaps they explain that I had my turn signal on but failed to turn. Oops. Or I turned the wrong way onto a one-way street. Oops. Or maybe they simply made a mistake and are apologetic and eager to exchange car insurance information. Or maybe they are none of those things and come at me with their own invective.
No matter what, by listening first, I have done my best to avoid letting evil have its way in that situation. The devil wants conflict and escalation and anger and retaliation. God doesn’t. And neither do I.
Dear God,
Thank you for your love and for the reminder to approach conflict and potential conflict with a loving ear, not a selfish mouth. Guide me toward better listening. Forgive me for prioritizing being heard over hearing others. Shut my mouth for me when necessary.
CamDevo 