Day 28: Who is Listening?

"Hello-o-o-o,

Is anyone listening to me?

Did you hear a word that I said?!"

Wow.

I think I may have said that a time

or two

(or many more)

when my children were young.

There were days when I felt like I was talking to a wall

for all the good it did me.

And then there were the days when 

little lips repeated what

I knew they had heard me say . . .

and wished that I hadn't. 

Sometimes the words were comical,

But other times, not so much. 

Not when they repeated the words

that I had uttered in haste and anger,

or the words that had an unkind ring to them.

I'm guessing you have been there 

at some point in your life also?

Wishing you could 

take back

the words you just heard

leaving your mouth.  

As I have been on this journey of Listening,

God has been applying most of the lessons

to my own way of listening, asking me

to listen with open ears.

He's reminded me that

He never stops listening,

and

Answers every cry 

that we utter.

However, there is one more way to approach

this Listening business,

And I am sure you know the direction

this is headed.

We truly are responsible for the words

that we utter

because someone is always 

listening to us.

What are they hearing?

Are my words helpful,

and beneficial for those 

listening to me? 

Ephesians 4:29 (NIV)  "Do not let any unwholesome talk come out of your mouths, but only what is helpful for building others up according to their needs, that it may benefit those who listen."

I don't know about you,

but those thoughts are weighty

and even scary to me.

In fact, somedays I just want to

shut up

and sit down

when I think about the damage 

that my words could possibly cause.

But is that really what the verse is meaning?

God must have thought it possible for me to be

helpful

and encouraging

and beneficial

when He gave that command,

because those are the

WORDS

that He used.

And lest I think these words only apply to those

who are in positions of prominence and

large vision,

God reminds me of how simple words

changed my days

many years ago.

I was a chubby and misfit 7th grader,

still loving my clarinet

but strained to my limit every afternoon.

Band members' lockers were on the far side

of the school,

and the buses were on the other

far side of the school.

Every day was a race to see if I would make it

in time

before the buses pulled away,

leaving me staring at my ride home.

Oh, but on those days when I learned how to

gather my things more quickly,

and slide into the bus doorway

just as it was pulling away,

my grin was ear-to-ear,

thanking my best friend, Jesus,

in the corners of my heart,

that He had helped this 

chubby, misfit girl

catch the bus one more time.

Finally one day, the bus driver

spoke words to me

that sparked a glimmer of hope

inside that chubby heart.

"You have such a pretty smile!

Why are you always grinning so big

when you get on my bus?

I'm going to start calling you

'Smiley.'"

Simple words, uttered in a simple place,

but nevertheless,

words that had a lasting

impact 

in my heart.

I don't remember what that bus driver looked like,

or how long she drove my bus route,

but I will never forget those 

kind words,

that brought encouragement to a heart

that felt like no one cared.

Are you in a simple place,

with hidden tasks?

Do you feel that the tasks of others

are more important than yours?

Perhaps God has placed you close by

to a chubby, misfit heart

that needs to hear a helpful word

that could benefit them today.

Who is listening to you?

This is Day 28 for the #Write31Days Challenge,

 Click here to see the Series Index

 

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