Random Thoughts in March and Conversation

March is a month fitting for sorrow and the death of things. Not to sound morbid, but mud and cold go with the mood of March. I am always so glad when it is over. When I see the first blooms of spring and green shoots of grass trying to shove up out of the earth, I feel maybe the pain and hard of winter might just relinquish its hold on my soul and I can start anew.

And then I wonder why it is I seek comfort so hard? Why do I struggle with bareness of the mind or landscape? Socrates once stated, "He who is not contented with what he has, would not be contented with what he would like to have." I agree, except for the changing of seasons. 

I've been thinking about communication and what makes it great. It seems that true communication is more quickly achieved when we are swift to hear and slow to speak. James 1:19 Most people want so badly to speak and to be heard and to say what's on their minds and hearts. They care more about being heard than listening. Likewise, we have more confusion and noise than ever. Thank you social media. 

I wonder what would happen if everyone would take a day off talking and simply listen to the conversations going on around them. Would we be filled with love and compassion for our people afterward or more confused? Would we still compare ourselves with other people in able to have a sense of self worth? We do that you know. Maybe we don't want to but it is quite natural to measure others by what seems right for ourselves.

And that isn't really what Jesus had in mind in walking this path called 'The Christian Life'. He made us all uniquely talkers and listeners with different ways of communicating. These days it's harder and harder to know which one we are good at, but I think Jesus wants us to strive to be good at both. 

We need both kinds of people to do life well.

Four out of twelve disciples wrote books to communicate to us what Jesus' teaching were here on earth. The other eight quietly walked the walk by example. How often do we remember Nathanael and Philip? So what if they didn't write a book. They were still disciples of Jesus and helped to communicate His ways. I imagine they were also pretty good listeners.

Bottom line. Just because you have thoughts and words doesn't mean you should share them. Unless they are the kind that help us listen for the stone being rolled away from the tomb. 

And if our conversations do speak life into a battered heart, I'm pretty sure it is the listening part that does it.