The Power of Active Listening
Welcome to Real Life . Can you hear me now? Being heard is so close to being loved that for the average person, they are almost indistinguishable. – David Augsburger [1] “Please look at me when I’m talking to you!” I would often say this to my sons while they were growing up. Because if they were playing and distracted, they might hear my words, but until I looked into their eyes, I couldn’t be sure they actually grasped what I was saying. We adults are not much different. We’re busy and distracted. We hear words all day long. But are we actively listening? Jesus Christ was incredibly busy in his earthly ministry. Yet he took the time to listen. At the pool of Bethesda, he asked the paralytic, “Do you want to get well?” [2] When his friend Lazarus died, Jesus listened to Mary’s and Martha’s words of disappointment and grief; and he wept with them. [3] When the blind beggar Bartimaeus called out to him, Jesus stopped and asked, “What do you want me to do for you?” [4] Jesu...