Can I hear you now?

The cell phone commercial made a household phrase of the question, ‘Can you hear me now?’ Sometimes we do wonder if anyone out there is listening! But today I’m turning the matter around. For the more important question for us disciples of Jesus, especially as we desire to share our faith with persons who are not yet disciples of Jesus, is not, ‘Can you hear me now,’ but ‘Can I hear you now?’ In other words, how well are we listening? How well are we listening to the Spirit of our Lord, how well are we listening to God’s Word? And how well are really listening to what other folks are saying as they may be seeking a relationship with God?

To be a caring Christian friend in a faith-sharing situation means listening as much as speaking. Is the person expressing concern for a loved one, commenting about worries at work, struggling with a strained relationship in the neighborhood, pondering the suffering of victims of natural disasters? Folks may not come right and ask us what faith in Jesus means to us in these times, but if we are able to listen carefully, they may open the door for a conversation that will allow us to be an instrument of God’s welcoming grace.

Jesus wants us to listen. Someone has quipped that when God created us, he gave us two ears but only one mouth for a reason! Maybe we’re supposed to listen twice as much as we talk. It is clear from many Bible passages that the Lord wants to get our attention, wants us to listen carefully to his teaching. God wants us to listen to him, and to listen to our neighbors, so that we may be able to share our faith with others.