LISTEN UP

James 1:19
My dear brothers and sisters,
be quick to listen,
slow to speak,
and slow to get angry.

Matthew 15:11
You are not defiled by what you eat;
you are defiled by what you say and do.



We were probably given two ears and only one mouth because God knew that listening would be twice as hard as speaking. It may also mean that listening is twice as important as talking. Imagine the negative possibilities of what might happen if we had two mouths: we could very well destroy ourselves in an extremely short period of time. I found this joke in Reader's Digest about listening: A police officer in a small town stopped a motorist who was speeding down Main Street. "Officer, I can explain", the man said. "No explanation needed!" snapped the Officer. "I'm going to let you cool your heels in jail until the chief gets back." The man tried again. "But Officer, I have to tell you something." "Just keep quiet! You're going to jail and I'm not interested in what you have to say!" the Officer said as he grew angrier. A few hours later the Officer looked in on his prisoner and said, "Lucky for you the chief is at his daughter's wedding. He'll be in a good mood when he gets back." "Don't count on it," answered the fellow in the cell. "I'm the groom." If only we would all be willing to listen. Please, take the time and work on being willing to listen.