Greetings in Christ,
I did not watch the Super Bowl last night. It apparently was a pretty good game, but I wanted to see the movie ‘Hidden Figures” in Elkader. This movie was about the contribution made by African American women to the early days of the American Space Program. It was a story that I had never heard of before, but one that I found to be inspiring. There is always more to learn about who we are as human beings, especially about people whose stories are different from ours.
One of the things you notice about Jesus as He goes about his earthly ministry is the time He takes to listen to people. He does not just listen to those who agree with Him. As He listens He comes to understand who they are, what their concerns might be and then He responds. He may speak a word of hope, healing, comfort, inspiration or challenge. The goal of Jesus’ listening is to first know the person before He responds to them
We are in a time in our nation where the response comes before listening, if folk bother to listen at all. Folk act as if there is nothing they need learn about another person or group and all that needs to be done is to shout their answer to everything as loud as they can. It is as if no one else has a story worth hearing and if they don’t completely agree with our story then they must be shouted down.
This isn’t civil behavior and it certainly isn’t the example our Lord has given us. If we are to find a way for all voices to be heard, we need to take the time to listen to others, even if the things they are saying are the complete opposite of what we believe. If we can’t or won’t hear another’s story, how can we expect them to listen to ours?
Have a Blessed Week
Pr. Hatcher