Are You Listening?

​“Hi. How are you doing today?”
“I’m good. How about you?”
“Fine, thanks.”

​This dialogue, or something like it, is such a common fixture in our society that we hardly even think when we say the words, let alone listen to the response. If we’re on the receiving end of these words, we say “fine” or “good”, no matter what’s going on in our lives. In the rushed, overscheduled world we live in, it’s easy to think about the next task, even as we are struggling to complete the current one. As a result, we don’t often make time to really listen to other people.

Sometimes I wonder if our prayer life isn’t much the same way. We have prayers we recite, and we may have a list of people to pray for, or a list of things for which we are thankful. Good though these practices are, how often do we take the time to have an in-depth, heart-to-heart conversation with God? As Christians, we try to go to church every week, but are we mentally, emotionally, and spiritually present, even as we are physically present? What is the status of your relationship with God? Take some time and think about it. 

​When we’re listening closely to God, we do a better job of empathizing with other people and showing them the love of Christ. The world is full of suffering people, but God is still present. Let’s live with an awareness of both of these truths.


​Let’s listen. 

​Elizabeth Scheibl is the Promotional Writing and Editing Intern at New Beginnings. A student at Wisconsin Lutheran College, she is pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in English with a minor in History. In her free time, she enjoys reading, writing, and practicing martial arts.

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