12 June 2020
A Moment to Reflect -40
Two more thought-provoking quotes from the humble “bear of little brain”…
“Some people talk to animals. Not many listen though. That’s the problem.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
“If the person you are talking to doesn’t appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.” ― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
It has often been pointed out (occasionally by teachers trying to get the attention of their class) that God made us with just one mouth but with two ears …because listening is twice as important as talking. It’s a nice idea though I suspect the real reason for the two ears has more to do with locating the origin of a sound. I know this because one my ears doesn’t work quite so well as the other and if I’m not wearing my hearing aid I can’t always tell where a sound has come from. Having said that, I think it’s still true that listening is definitely more important than talking. However as Pooh Bear observed “not many listen.” Really listen.
To really listen can often be very tiring and it sometimes also requires the assistance of those two cousins ‘patience and persistence.’ Most of all it requires the willingness to forget yourself and give your full attention to the other. If we don’t find it easy to listen to one another I suspect we find it even harder to listen to God.
I really like the second quotation above. It’s typical Pooh Bear- refusing to think the worst of the other (it may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear), giving them the benefit of the doubt and offering another chance. In spite of our frequent failure to listen to him, God continues to be patient with us. I wonder if God’s patience will ever run out?
…I think I better check again if there is a small piece of fluff in my ear.
