shut-up and listen.

you may think this is coming from some bitter place deep in me, and maybe it is. but i think it's just something that's been on my mind for a couple of weeks that the Lord's been teaching me for much longer than that.

shut-up and listen.

profound, huh?

i used to know all the right things to say. i could spit them off [with Bible verses included], and i really felt like i was encouraging the people that came to me with heavy hearts. now i'm not so sure. Truth definitely needs to be spoken, but i've been learning we need to think about our words more carefully before we speak them out loud. our words can change someone's entire perspective on life. that can be a good change in perspective, but more often than not, their views end up just as skewed as ours.

...and if we don't have the will to shut-up on our own? the Lord will shut our mouths for us.

He has mine.

it's a humbling experience being asked questions such as, "what is your view on this?" and "how do you feel about that?" and literally not being able to speak. i, like almost all of humanity, have my views on certain issues, and not being able to gather my thoughts and form them into a statement that is fully coherent is beyond frustrating. it seems like this truth within me hasn't reached the air and others' hearts in so long. i feel like the wisdom i had as a child has flown out the window.

but maybe it's the best thing that's happened to me in a while.

if we keep repeating and replaying our own thoughts and beliefs without even considering what others have to say, how can we really learn anything? we can be right and know the truth about a lot, but sadly enough, we're never going to know it all. and we, with our flesh and prideful natures surrounding us, hate it.

He didn't create us to seek the truth out for ourselves; He's called us to commune together. we're not in this alone. we learn together, grow together, and love Him together. if we'd listen to others and not love hearing ourselves talk so much, we'd learn a thing or two... and we may even learn that we are wrong.

i overheard a co-worker last week ask, "have you ever wondered why we have two ears and only one mouth? it's because we need to listen twice as much as we talk." my point to a tee.

so... the past few months have been full of me just sitting back and listening [too bad i can't say it's been on my own accord]. people have a lot to say, that's for sure. i've been introduced to Truth in new ways, and i've also heard ridiculous ideas that leave me wondering where we went wrong. either way, it's been helpful. we're all busy running toward our own versions of truth, so when we hear from the living and breathing Truth, we just want more and more of Him.

and it's always good to be reminded that we've been blind ever since that day in the garden.

thankfully, He shines His light and allows us to see.