Fast listening leads to fixing & solving leaving one unheard!

Wednesday Word

She turned her computer on, eager to start her training as part of the “Soul Care Team” at her church. She smiled a smile of gratitude as she thought about how He had orchestrated her steps to get her there. It had been a very, very long time since she had felt at home in a church, but all she had gone thru over the last three years had brought her home.

Thanks for joining us for Wednesday’s Word with Kim-Evinda and Trench Classes United.

The revelation was like a bullseye, aiming straight for the eyes of her heart: for almost 34 years now, she had been listening fast…because as a court reporter that’s what you have to do; listen at lightning speed, at times 300 words a minute (which means the brain gets maxed out)! But when it comes to conversations with others, to maintain that pace of listening will cause many important pieces to drop.

She thought back to a few relationships she still had a not-so-pleasant feeling about and realized her “fast listening” probably didn’t help either situation. The humble pie didn’t taste good, but it was necessary to grow in her walk with Christ and be part of this team.

After listening to the first segment of training, she knew down in her soul that God had led her to this team not just to serve others, but to refine her and bring her closer to Him.  Once again, she marveled and reveled in His multitasking sovereignty for this new journey would surely be accomplishing many things.

This training gave her a whole new depth of understanding on the scripture James 1:19-20: So then, my beloved (brothers and sisters), let everyone be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath; for the wrath of man does not produce the righteousness of God.

Look at that word picture: hurry up (to show up for the person that needs to be heard); then STOP, (literally sit with that person all in and present imagine tape on your mouth and the pain it would take to remove it every second to speak); plug in to His Spirit, drink in His presence, and as my focus changes from hurrying to resting in His presence in the present with the one I’m listening to, the need to fix, solve will leave as one’s soul becomes more important than the solution.

Wow, I can’t wait to share my experiences with this training and being on this team. I am learning when I’m too busy to really listen, I’m too busy…oh Abba, help me to listen slow.

Listening and unlearning,
Kim-Evinda