Have you ever been having a conversation and its always about the other person? Or maybe your having a conversation and its always about you? For some reason we love to talk about ourselves, we love to share what we are doing, our life and we at times just seem to share just a little too much. Have you ever asked someone,"How are you", only to hear many things you weren't prepared to hear? We like others to ask us how we are, it shows others care, but do they really want to hear, or are they just being nice? Now there is a question to ponder for awhile. If it is a real friend, they will spend hours with you listening, chatting and sharing, but sometimes people are just waiting for us to say, "Oh, I'm fine". I can relate this to my relationship with Christ. When I call out to Him, I think I am just always wanting to talk about me, my struggles, my needs, and just how I think things should go, but oh, is that the wrong way to have a relationship.Yes, He wants to hear all that is on my heart, but He also wants me just to listen at times, maybe if I listened more I wouldn't be having so many struggles and needs. In a relationship, the conversation goes both ways, sometimes we are the ones sharing and others we are the ones listening, and oh my how I need to listen more to Jesus. I can pray, I can share, but am I ready to listen to all He has for me to hear? We can be so self absorbed that we want to do all the talking, we can just want to share about our lives instead of giving others a chance to share. Sometimes that is just what our friends are waiting to do, just have a chance to share what is on their hearts,not listen to us talk ninety miles a minute about nothing. For me to reach out, I have to give others room to share, and it might just be in those few minutes of my time that I think is so precious that I really learn something not just about them but about myself. Time really does show love, and if someone stops you, if they begin to share, just maybe taking our eyes off of ourselves long enough we bless another just by listening. When we call out to Jesus He is always there, He isn't too busy to show love to His children. What an example to us, an example of how we can really show love to others. Just listening can be the greatest gift we can give to someone~Lord, help me to remember my time is no more important than anothers time. Help me to give more of myself, help me to listen more and take time with those around me, taking my eyes off myself, placing them on You and letting Your love and acceptance shine through.
