Learning to Listen

Growing up we all have that "momma always says" phrase. It's different for everyone but it's the words of wisdom that we never forget from our moms. For me, my momma always says, "you can't tell someone to love God until you love them first". The power of that phrase is that we should not have to try so hard to convert others. God is so wonderful and so powerful that his love speaks to everyone of every background. We don't have to try so hard because ultimately His truth prevails.

Sometimes, even as Christians we sometimes find ourselves just as stubborn as those we are hoping to convert. I myself am guilty of this. Last night I was having a good discussion with other Catholic friends of mine. I found myself a little less conservative than the rest of everyone in the group and it was an opinion I was not going to budge on. I was not open to hearing the opinion of my friends. I simply wanted them to see things the way I did because in my mind they were the ones who were close minded. I let them speak just trying to do the right thing and, by the grace of God, my ears were opened. I learned a lot last night and I'm the better for it. I saw this quote this morning and loved it:

Ok that sounds great, except I ultimately did accept the thought in that conversation so how does that quote mean anything to me? What I learned is that most of the time I am so unwilling to accept another thought that I never "entertain the thought" as Aristotle puts it. How does one entertain a thought while staying true to their beliefs? As humans we are on this quest for truth. Even when we find the truth we should always be looking for a deeper understanding of that truth. We entertain the thought because our need for truth should and does call us to hear any opportunity to learn about truth from one another. The problem is, we become convinced that we have found the truth. We then stop searching for a deeper understanding and become arrogant when others approach us with a different understanding of truth.

Our search for truth is what allows us to dismiss a thought while still taking the time to understand the viewpoint. We are all guilty of this at some point in time whether we admit it or not. Learning to listen can be the hardest thing at times. When we do listen with open minds, ears, and heart, we discover a power we never thought we had.

“Those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything.” 

― George Bernard Shaw