“He who answers before listening –
that is his folly and his name”
-Proverbs 18:13
How far will an individual go just to
get someone to listen? Take Mary Jo Jansen, who complained that nobody listened
to her. Not her doctors. Not her attorney. Not even her family. No one. So,
according to a close friend, she decided to capture everyone’s attention in
what he called, “one of the most notorious ways possible: “She walked into an
elementary school near her home, barged into a classroom which she chose at
random, and held the teacher and the pupils as hostages before she finally put
a gun to her temple and pulled the trigger, taking her own life.
“That’s sick!” you immediately
respond, and I think most folks will agree. No sane person could subject
innocent children to such a statement of anger and defiance. But the fact
remains that people who feel lonely and unheard are willing to do almost
anything to make a statement.
Every one of us has three basic
needs: (1) love (2) fulfillment (3) security. Fulfillment, the second need
means feeling worthwile to yourself and to other people. Having someone listen
to you validates your sense of self-esteem and makes you feel that you are a
person of value and worth.
What’s the bottom line here? Twofold:
first, you can’t meet the needs of your husband or wife or your children
without learning to listen; it’s all part of communication. Second, part of
prayer is listening and hearing God’s voice. He always responds to our
heart-cries. A young woman complained, “For four hours I prayed saying, ‘God
say something and He was silent.” “No, I replied, “God was speaking loudly
saying, “Trust me, take it by faith!” Listening is tremendously important!
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