Listening and asking questions are terrific ways to show love in everyday life! Listening is such a gift, but it is often hard to give others. It goes against our self-contentedness and desire to get things done. Listening requires intentionality and practice; it takes a little effort to mentally and relationally connect with another person! For more ideas on asking questions, take a peek at last week’s post .
Here are five ideas that will help you grow the skill of listening:
Each time I saw this friend, she would ask a question about something I had mentioned the last time we talked. The question might be about something I was planning to do or something that was on my heart. This told me she had really been listening to me. Her question made me feel like I was loved and paid attention to! She inspired me to try to ask questions more with others I knew.
Asking questions is a skill for loving well! It accomplishes at least four things:
I’d like to invite you to join me in reading Luke the next few weeks! For me, it’s meaningful to think on the life of Christ in the weeks leading up to Easter. I like to read one of the four gospels at least once a year, because it gives us an excellent way to get to know Jesus. We come to know him and learn from him as we see his actions, hear his words, and gain a sense of his heart for God and people.
By starting now, we can read about five chapters a week for five weeks (there are 24 chapters in Luke). Then the readings for his death and resurrection will line up close to Easter!
We all have hard seasons in our lives. In these desert places, sometimes there is some thing we are waiting for and want, like a career change or people to connect with. Or, there is some thing we are living with that we don’t want, like illness or a difficult relationship. We hope and pray things change quickly. But when it doesn’t, how can we live and love well in that season?
Out of the corner of my eye, I became aware of a flock of black birds flitting outside our back windows. A large number of birds flew together searching for food. It’s winter. Cold. Rather barren. And in the midst of these realities, God provides food for the birds in the form of small fruit on our tree. This makes me think of Jesus’ words:
Live a Life of Love 