Revd. Canon Michael Woods

Team Rector, Great Yarmouth Parish

 

 

Listen!! Can you hear the cuckoo? Of course not - not in February. Never mind what you can’t hear, what can you hear? The movements of others near you? Voices coaxing or voices cursing? Vehicles moving or food cooking? Then ask ‘How often do I stop and listen?’

 

 

How often does anyone stop and listen? Yet we all know that when the sharp edges of life have been cutting into us and our nerves are on edge the one thing that makes a difference is if someone would listen.

 

 

Like anything else there is a range of qualities in listening. The listener who gives the impression that the person they are listening to is their sole interest at that time and they do so with care and acceptance is the best kind of listener. Shortage of time often takes away from the quality of our listening and the worst thing a listener can do is look at their watch.

 

 

Listening is a very natural way in which we can all help in the healing of our friends and neighbours. As the Samaritan in Jesus’ parable used what skills he had to care for the man fallen among thieves so we can use the very valuable skill of listening that each one has to help heal the hurt around us. Young people can listen with surprise and the old can listen with great experience and God gives us all the same amount of time to manage.

 

 

Of course listening to others might spill into our prayers so that instead of just telling God what we want and what we want Him to know we might simply take the time to listen to Him for a change.