• Pastor Gerrit Mes of the AFM Pentecostal Fellowship writes:
I remember a teacher telling our class to keep quiet so that she could teach us. Then she said something I cannot forget. She said, “When your mouth is open your ears close”. I know it is not true but there is some truth in it. When we talk, we don’t listen.
If you want to improve your marriage, or your bottom line at work, maybe this could be important. The art of listening. In a world full of noise, it is so difficult to hear. Maybe it is time to consider the teacher’s wise words. Keep quiet and listen.
Listen to what people are saying. Listen to your own thoughts. Listen, maybe God is trying to tell you something.
Recently my three-year-old grandson put it into words. I was making a noise hitting the table tennis ball onto the table tennis table. It made a terrible noise. He looked at me across the table and said, “Oupie, stop it, I cannot hear myself thinking.” Three years old.
It is so important to create quiet spaces in our lives just to listen.
I know many great public speakers. Eloquent communicators. But I can count on one hand the people that are good at listening.
Maybe our world needs less talkers and more listeners.
It is an art to listen. You can, by practice and self-discipline, become one of the rare people who knows how to listen.
• Contact Pastor Mes on 087 802 5752.
