Listening

What’s the most underrated life skill?

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I wasn’t sure how to answer this one. I asked Google Gemini for examples of life skills. What resonated with me in the answers were skills related to communication. One was asking clarifying questions before reacting – another was listening – and both are forms of listening. Another example was delivering a graceful “No”: Setting clear boundaries without being rude, defensive, or over-explaining. I’d like to have read and understood such advice earlier in life. And another was de-escalation – staying calm and remaining steady. We should have been taught all that at school. It would have been hugely helpful to me in my various careers 😀.

In the New Testament, the Pharisees, who were extremely religious, got agitated with Jesus. They probably immediately classified him as someone arrogant and heretical. But what if they had listened, watched, and carefully prayed and reflected rather than jumping to quick conclusions? Some of them did listen. An example was Nicodemus. We often focus on the comment by Jesus about the need to be born again, but think of the statement Nicodemus made, prior to this:

John 3:1-3
Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. ² He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”
³ Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.

Notice that Nicodemus said “we know” – not “I know” – so it was clearly a group within the Pharisees who were open to listen and weigh things. And in later years, many priests and Pharisees became Christians:

Acts 6:7
“So the word of God continued to spread. The number of disciples in Jerusalem grew rapidly, and a great number of priests became obedient to the faith.”

And the following verse mentions believing Pharisees – although their hope was that Gentiles would become Jews.

Acts 15:5
“Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, ‘The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.'”

This was a controversial debate, but the church decided that they didn’t need to (Read the discussion in Acts 15). But in any church, denomination or movement, you’ll get people who are prone to conservatism – or radicalism – but the answer is to be open to listen to other perspectives and particularly the Bible. I’ve changed my mind on various issues over the years. At times, I might have had such confidence in a preacher or theologian that I’d be prone to adopt his outlook on everything. But in recent years, I tend to listen to debates. And I might adopt a view, but I’d always want to be open to other perspectives. We’ll understand everything in heaven – or maybe we won’t 😀- but things will be clearer.

So hear are some hymns related to listening to God: