Communication is one of those things I’m not only passionate about, I’ve studied. It’s not just something I’ve studied, I’ve also developed. For those of you familiar with CliftonStrengths, communication is also one of my Top 5 Talents. So I’m quite interested in all aspects and topics of communication. Today as I read through a couple of chapters in Matthew, I noticed Jesus was passionate about communication too. Today, I recognized again how much He particularly cared about hearing and listening. Yes, we have two more action words to add to our collection this week.
I did a quick word search this morning and discovered the Bible has over 300 references to the word “hear” and roughly 400 to the word “listen.” That’s a lot of hearing and listening references.
It’s become very clear to me, we are to both hear and listen.
Jesus said, “He who has ears, let him hear.”
Jesus also said, “Listen and understand.”
What is the difference between “hear” and “listen”?
- Hearing means to perceive or apprehend by the ear. It’s the capacity to receive communication. It’s also one of our senses.
- Listening is the paying attention with thoughtful intention to gain understanding.
It’s not just that we hear God’s Word, but we are to pay attention with thoughtful intention. We are to understand what we hear. We can only gain understanding if we listen.
I believe hearing and listening are so crucial to our relationships that we can either make or break our relationships if we don’t effectively both hear and listen.
We need to not just apply hearing and listening to God, but we also need to hear and listen to people in our lives.
How many of us “hear” what our spouse, child, boss, or neighbor is saying, but we don’t “listen” to them?
I’m guilty of this, and I’ve been intentional for quite a few years now developing my hearing and listening communication skills. By developing my communication skills, I’m developing my relationship-building skills, which means I’m intentionally developing my relationships to be healthier.
If we want healthy relationships, we need to learn how to both hear and listen to others. We need to slow down, tune in, and pay attention. If we don’t, those relationships that matter, will suffer. If we care about others, we need to hear and listen.
Today, let’s both perceive and pay attention with thoughtful intention to God and others.
Let’s hear and listen.
Scripture:
Matthew 11:15 – He who has ears, let him hear
Proverbs 1:5 – Let the wise listen and add to their learning.
Matthew 15:10 – Jesus called the crowd to him and said, “Listen and understand.”
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