The Act of Listening

By the time I arrived at the restaurant for coffee with friends most had already arrived.

I got my coffee and joined them.

There was a football game on television but I had far more interest in spending time with my friends than I did in the teams that were playing.

After several minutes of conversation, someone wondered what the score was.

I pulled out my phone and launched an app that told me both the score and the time remaining in the game.

I relayed this information to my friends.

Seated at a nearby table was a boy in his teens who asked me to repeat this information.

I told him but I was almost certain he heard me the correctly the first time.

Time went by and one by one my friends began to leave as they still had things to do.

Several times the young man at the other table tried to join into the conversation with limited success.

One of my friends had yet to arrive.

As the last of my friends left, I opted to get a refill of coffee and give him a few more minutes before I left.

Suddenly, without invitation, the young man gathered up his belongings and sat down at my table.

It did not take me very long to discover that this young man had special needs.

Although physically in his late teens, his intellect lagged several years behind.

To say that he took up the lion’s share of the conversation is an understatement.

I listened to everything he told me.

He told me a great deal.

He told me about his favorite sports teams.

He told me about his favorite athletes.

He told me all about a movie he had just seen.

As he finished telling me about the movie, a family member of his came in and walked up to our table.

The family member asked if he was ready to leave and he said that he was.

That is when he did something that took me by complete surprise.

He said to the family member, "This is my friend…", and his voice trailed off.

He looked at me inquisitively and asked, "What did you say your name was?"

Truthfully speaking, I had not.

Introductions were never made.

I smiled and offered him a handshake and said, "My name is Jim."

He shook my hand and told me his name.

He then turned back to his family member and said, "This is my friend, Jim."

I shook hands with that person and with that, they left.

As I sat there, alone with my coffee, I thought about his choice of words.

"This is my friend."

In a matter of minutes, I had achieved the status of friend.

Why?

I was a friend simply because I was willing to listen.

He did not have questions that needed answers,

He did not any advice.

He did not ask for help of any kind.

He merely had a great deal to say and what he needed was a friend who was simply willing to listen.

In the end, I was glad to be that kind of friend.

It made me think about the kind of relationship I have with God.

God is all knowing and all powerful.

He knows what I am going to say to Him even before I say it.

Matthew 6:8 (NET) - Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Yet He still wants me to have a relationship with Him.

He still wants to listen to me as I tell Him everything that is on my mind.

He proved this with a tremendous gesture the moment His only Son died on the cross.

Mark 15:37-38 (NET) - But Jesus cried out with a loud voice and breathed His last. And the temple curtain was torn in two from top to bottom.

Thanks to Jesus, there is no longer a barrier between us.

The way has been made clear for everyone, and that makes Him the greatest listener there is.

I could not ask for a better friend than that.

If you have something on your mind, talk to Him.

He wants to hear all about it.


Blessings,
Jim Pokorny
The Other Brother Jim
Look for me at http://faithfulfeetteam.blogspot.com/ on Friday, January 18, 2013.
Please enjoy the contributions of my fellow Christian bloggers while you are there!
I’ll be back here on Friday, January 25, 2013.
Schedule subject to change.