We use more time to talk, and less time to listen

Stopping to listen to someone can be one of the greatest challenges of our times, even because to listen well someone else needs to empty themselves, and this task, while bringing many benefits, is little appreciated by most of us. But not only that, the truth is that silence has really been scarce in our day. We are agitated and surrounded by so many things that we hardly stop to listen, even the sounds that are around us. Days ago, I lived, in my own skin, an experience that made me realize this clearly.

There is a park in São Paulo that I usually visit, and although it is in the center of the city, it seems to me very quiet and peaceful. However, I went there to record a show with TV Canção Nova , which needed silence. I was amazed at how much noise we heard! There were airplanes flying over the park, people talking loudly, lawnmower in the background and so many other noises that it was impossible to continue the recording. I left there thinking, “Why did not I hear this before?” I realized that it was just because I had been silentWhen we are surrounded by the noise, another noise more or less makes little difference.

I have learned that listening is one of the most beautiful arts that human beings can develop, even because a healthy, spiritually speaking life inevitably passes through the dynamics of listening. The Word of God itself teaches: “There is a time for every thing under heaven … a time to speak and a time to hear” (Ecclesiastes 3). But we’re taking more time to talk, and less time to listen. Perhaps that is why many people have died in solitude for lack of someone to listen to them.

Exercise listening

It’s scary, but unfortunately it’s true. And we, you and I, can change that reality by adopting small gestures. Using less earphones, for example, and paying more attention to people, whether at home or on the street, is already a good tip. Disconnecting from social networks when you get home and “listen” to who is real and is by your side, will also help a lot. Slowing down the pace to hear who asks you for information can also give a new meaning to your day. They are very simple attitudes, which may seem insignificant, but experiences bought that can save a life . I think the big question is to get interested in people.

It seems that we have lost a bit of the notion that we need each other and that the bonds that bind us from one point to another in the universe are strengthened by acceptance. We must hear the person!Not what they say about her or what we imagine about her, but to listen with an open heart, unarmed.It is more than simply hearing words, it is welcoming the person the way he is, with his pains or joys, and giving him the right to express himself without the concern of being judged or rejected. It is demanding, I well know, but beneficial! When we listen to the other, we also learn from it, grow from its experiences, and avoid many mistakes.

Read more: 
:: How to deal with the bombardment of information in social media? 
Does your happiness depend on compliments? 
:: To remind us of the things we already know about love 
:: We must have the courage to leave the comfort zone and progress

links are to pages translated by Google Translate from Portuguese

Intimacy with God

I have experienced that silence so that I may actually listen in the midst of today’s fast-paced routine is much more than a psychological strategy, it is a necessity that we consciously or not bring into the soul , for it is in the silence that we deepen our relationship with God, with us and, consequently, with others. It is challenging, but possible, for if we engage in relationship with God, He Himself will give us the grace we need to live this and other wonderful experiences. For the more intimate of God we become, the quieter and more welcoming we will become. And the more we dare to trust fully in the power of His indwelling Spirit, the more we will see true healing happening in us as well as through us in others.

It is good to remember that Jesus, even being God , often paused in His mission and retired to meet with the Father and with him through prayer and silence. If we are seeking spiritual growth and a better quality of emotional life, we need to follow his example and adjust our compass between “speaking time and listening time,” knowing that we can only hear the voice of God if our ears are trained to hear people.

Translation: Subscribe to the Canção Nova YouTube Channel