“The first duty of love is to listen.” - Paul Tillich *
I have often said “You learn nothing new while you are speaking.” This would go hand in hand with today’s quote from Paul Tillich. Some folks have an overinflated sense of importance, in that whatever comes out of their mouth is worth noting. We are to exhibit humility. What we say should be measured by the hearer as to whether it is worth hearing or not.
How is love supposed to be handled. A loving relationship is a 100/100 proposition; not 50/50 as some experts say. You have to be ALL IN, not halfway. You can learn much more about a loved one when you listen. As stated above, if you are prone to talking too much you’ll learn nothing new. An even distribution of speaking and listening would be perfect, but this isn’t a perfect world. We must work at listening, not just hearing. You can hear anything, but is it sinking in. THAT requires listening, not just hearing. I’m certainly no love expert, but I know that you will satisfy the needs of the one you love if you pay attention to what they’re saying to you. Don’t tune them out. Focus on their feelings and emotions as they articulate how they feel they are being treated by you. If it means a lot to them it must mean a lot to you as well if you intend to prolong the relationship. It’s never all about you. An equal amount of attention must be paid to one another, or the relationship will eventually wither and die.
Until next time, walk with the King & be a blessing.
In His Name & for His Glory,
RL Keller
Bread of Life Ministries
*Paul Tillich (1886-1965) was a German-born American theologian and philosopher, who explored the connections between traditional Christianity and modern culture.
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