Speak. I’m your servant, ready to listen.
1 Samuel 3:10 (MSG)
Conversation skills are fairly easy to learn for neurotypical people. Many individuals on the autism spectrum, however, don’t have that innate ability. Their tendency at monologue must be reshaped into a capability for dialogue.
In his New York Times bestseller Look Me in the Eye, Author John Elder Robison states, “Successful conversations require a give-and-take between both people. Being Aspergian, I missed that. Totally.”He goes on to explain that, because he was so used to living inside his own world, he had to learn how to have a conversation with other people.
While many of us don’t have trouble speaking, most of us struggle with listening. And by listening, I mean focusing on what the other person is saying and truly paying attention to their words and intent. Which is why meaningful conversations are scarce. Most of us listen in order to reply rather than listening in order to grasp and understand what the other person is saying. Because we believe our opinion matters more than our presence and undivided attention.
All too often, we do the same with God. Our prayer life is more of a monologue than a conversation. We pour out our requests and petitions yet forget to stop and listen to what God wants to tell us.
While hearing is mostly passive, listening is active. The word listen is defined as “making an effort to hear; to be alert, and ready to hear.” Did you catch that last part? Two important terms stand out; be alert and ready to hear. To be alert, means you are watchful and vigilant. You are paying attention. To be ready to hear, means you are listening and straining to hear.
Today, take time to sit in silence, muting the noise in your mind and the world around you. Spend less time speaking to God and more time listening for His voice. Respond to His prompting as Samuel did – “Speak, Lord, I am ready to listen.”
Thought: “We live in a culture where everyone wants to have his or her voice heard but has so little to say. And that’s because we do so little listening, especially to God. The best way to get people to listen to us is for us to listen to God. Why? Because we’ll have something to say that is worth hearing.” – Mark Batterson