So that the different members take care of one another (1Corinthians 12:25)
Once someone wants to talk to you. Would you like to hear it? What he wanted to say might be an honest confession of guilt, a statement of faith, an old joke, or a commentary on the weather, which he needed to say. The person who was about to speak might be a child, or it might also be an old man. Are you ready to listen to it?
For 10 years, Mary Ridgway, a busy university administrator and educator, has regularly visited Mary Jacobs at the life care center. To become a mentor, Ridgway must first undergo 50 hours of training. At that time he doubted whether he could shake off his tendency to always solve problems and always talk when things were quiet. But now Mary Ridgway has decided that listening is part of her ministry to Christ.
And Mary Jacobs could thank God every night because she had a friend who listened to her faithfully.
The Bible asks us Christians to “take care of one another” (1 Corinthians 12:25) by using the gifts God has given us. One of the things we can do to care for and serve one another is to listen.
Listening is not the job of a few talented people, but the privilege and duty of all of us. Today, someone wants to tell you a story. Are you ready and willing to listen, for Jesus' sake? --David McCasland
ONE OF THE BIGGEST PART OF LOVE IS LISTENING
*) Take from Daily Meditation