Hi there,
So I am just expanding on the idea that "to him who hears, more will be given" (from Mark, from memory). How do we make sure that we are listening as much as possible? The answer is in part, to meditate on how it is that we listen. There are three main types of listening: with the head, with the heart and with the soul. The Lord sets out what He is, in exactly this way: saying "I am the way, the truth and the life". The meaning of this in terms of listening is that "He is the way of listening with the head, the truth of listening with the heart and the life of listening with the soul". No matter how you look at it, Jesus is listening!
What is interesting is that, ways of listening are not exclusive - the main ways of listening complement each other. If you are listening with your head and something doesn't seem right in your heart, what the soul hears can reinterpret what is being said; or if you are listening with your heart and you don't know what to do, you can listen with your soul and your head together, to try to come up with an answer - do you see? What is important is not to become hard hearted, to become stubborn - if you refuse to listen or be corrected, you will suffer. I'm not saying you have to suffer, just that you will have to listen with your soul before its too late.
The empowering thing about this, is that in conversation with others, different ways of listening can actually strengthen your relationship with the other person. Part of this, is listening the same way, together, to a similar thing. If you both listen with the heart, to Jesus saying "I love you", then you will be blessed with love from God, but also each other. That is part of the power of the Lord saying "whenever two or three are gathered in My Name, I am there in the midst of them", in other words "the Lord listening with the heart, can be listened to, by those with Him (with their heart)". The more you listen this way, the more the power of your love grows. Listening equals power.
But do we master listening, if we know there are different types? That requires practice. Learning to be at peace, in a deserted place, by testing yourself against what you know you hear - that is, from God - is a great way to develop the character of listening. You will be better at a different kind of listening, than others - some will listen with the head, others the soul. I would argue the point for the believer is to get better at listening with the heart - the heart knits the body and soul together, the head alone finds futility hard to discern. This is about wisdom. Jesus told His disciples to "wait for power from the Holy Spirit" before heading out into the world, a similar thing applies with listening: the first thing you hear with your head or heart or soul, is not necessarily the thing the Holy Spirit can most empower you with - He speaks what He hears, remember? What then does He hear - but from the head, the heart or the soul?
I hope this has been of some encouragement.
God bless.
So I am just expanding on the idea that "to him who hears, more will be given" (from Mark, from memory). How do we make sure that we are listening as much as possible? The answer is in part, to meditate on how it is that we listen. There are three main types of listening: with the head, with the heart and with the soul. The Lord sets out what He is, in exactly this way: saying "I am the way, the truth and the life". The meaning of this in terms of listening is that "He is the way of listening with the head, the truth of listening with the heart and the life of listening with the soul". No matter how you look at it, Jesus is listening!
What is interesting is that, ways of listening are not exclusive - the main ways of listening complement each other. If you are listening with your head and something doesn't seem right in your heart, what the soul hears can reinterpret what is being said; or if you are listening with your heart and you don't know what to do, you can listen with your soul and your head together, to try to come up with an answer - do you see? What is important is not to become hard hearted, to become stubborn - if you refuse to listen or be corrected, you will suffer. I'm not saying you have to suffer, just that you will have to listen with your soul before its too late.
The empowering thing about this, is that in conversation with others, different ways of listening can actually strengthen your relationship with the other person. Part of this, is listening the same way, together, to a similar thing. If you both listen with the heart, to Jesus saying "I love you", then you will be blessed with love from God, but also each other. That is part of the power of the Lord saying "whenever two or three are gathered in My Name, I am there in the midst of them", in other words "the Lord listening with the heart, can be listened to, by those with Him (with their heart)". The more you listen this way, the more the power of your love grows. Listening equals power.
But do we master listening, if we know there are different types? That requires practice. Learning to be at peace, in a deserted place, by testing yourself against what you know you hear - that is, from God - is a great way to develop the character of listening. You will be better at a different kind of listening, than others - some will listen with the head, others the soul. I would argue the point for the believer is to get better at listening with the heart - the heart knits the body and soul together, the head alone finds futility hard to discern. This is about wisdom. Jesus told His disciples to "wait for power from the Holy Spirit" before heading out into the world, a similar thing applies with listening: the first thing you hear with your head or heart or soul, is not necessarily the thing the Holy Spirit can most empower you with - He speaks what He hears, remember? What then does He hear - but from the head, the heart or the soul?
I hope this has been of some encouragement.
God bless.
sophers Aristotle and Plato formulated about the soul.
