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Human Care

THE MINISTRY OF LISTENING

Don’t you just love listening to the sound of rain falling on the roof or listening to the sounds a new born baby makes? Thank you God for letting me listen.

Lord, when I hear the sound of sirens from police, firemen or ambulances, I just want to stop and ask you to watch over all those responders and those they are in route to help.

Lord, thank you for letting me sit next to my loved one as I listened to them taking their last earthly breath before you took them to be with you in Heaven.

Okay, so what does an ear have to do with showing Human Care?  I sit here drinking a cup of coffee and wonder what makes a good listener. Is there a vitamin I can take to help me or maybe a book to read to help me understand.  Off I go to www.goodsearch.com and type in “listening,” and I get over a million different places to look. That just seems like too much work, but alas, isn’t that what being a good listener is -- WORK.  If you are like me there are certain things I can handle listening about, but then there are others that are hard to hear, like when listening to someone share their needs, hurts or sadness with me. My mind tends to wander all over the place and I just don’t listen well.

So listening is more than just hearing. It’s about paying attention to what we hear and giving thoughtful attention to what a person says even if this is not the first time they’re telling us. I love telling my family: “Even if I have said this before, act like it’s the first time.”  Sort of silly, but oh, so true. What is wrong with letting a person talk?  I know I enjoy doing that and must admit I do feel God’s love when I know that the person I am talking to is really listening to me.

Take a moment and over a cup of tea or coffee to read  some of the things we came up with and see if they might help you to be a better listener. If you come up with other suggestions on how to show Human Care to others through listening, please contact us at mandd_gruel@msn.com.

Remember God’s Word says:
Everyone should be quick to listen and slow to speak ...  James 1:19
He who answers before listening - that is his folly and his shame.  Proverbs 18:13

Oh Lord, help us as we listen to our family and friends and others and help them and us to listen to Jesus. Amen

LWML Human Care Committee
Ann Marie Bollas
Sandra Haugner
Donna Gruel - Chairman