The excuses for running through life without listening are many. There is so much noise in our world that it is easy to be surrounded by sound without ever hearing a word or becoming aware of the origin of a unique sound. It is rare for a person to slow down and heighten her or his awareness enough to discern the source and/or content of the sound(s), even when such is readily apparent.
So What?
There are days that I think silence is rare, but truly heard and well-processed sound is rarer still. One gift of being a part of life with others is to experience sounds together.
- When did you last catch yourself pretending to listen, but failing to give fully of yourself toward that end?
- In the past week, what have you learned as a result of being intentional about listening?
- Choose one person you rarely listen to or who many quickly dismiss. Make time to really listen to that individual.