The skies were cloudy and the breeze was warm as I walked around the waters of DeSoto Falls.  I pause to watch a man engaged in one of the most labor intensive ways of taking it easy I have ever seen.  I watch him yank his homemade lure out of the shallow waters where it has drifted and then whip it back and forth until without a sound he plants it in the deep end of the lake.  And then I behold one of the most satisfied smiles I have ever seen.

        His silent serenity sang a peaceful song as I sat on the grass listening.  The only other sounds were made by his fly rod whistling in the wind as he delivers his payload to the hungry fish.  The soundless music this old man played on a harp with only one string moved me.  The words of his song spoke of simple pleasures enjoyed in the awe-inspiring hush of the great outdoors.  Afterwards I began to ponder the simple words of his joyful melody.  I wondered why I had never heard that song before.  Then it hit me; the silent song of tranquility is constantly playing all around us.  We simply can’t hear the tune because we are too busy talking, griping, complaining and tooting our own horns.

        I wonder how many joys we miss because we refuse to be silent and listen.  How many times have we walked away from someone who is hurting and dying for someone to listen to them simply because we were busy?  Perhaps we are suffering from a self imposed deafness?  We drown ourselves in noise and then pretend not to hear when we get interrupted.  How sad when our friends suffer from loneliness.  Many people are crying out for help and wondering why nobody hears their sobs.  The first duty of love is to listen.

        Today let us take time to listen.  Our sons and daughters need moms and dads who pay attention to them.  Our friends have something they need to say, will we have time for them?  Sometimes the greatest sermon is silence. A suffering person doesn’t need a lecture, he needs a listener.  Are we broadcasting when we should be listening?  One of the best ways to demonstrate God’s love is to listen to people.  Remember happiness is a choice; choose to listen.

Something to think about:

• A good listener is not only popular, but after a while he knows a few things.

• If you think you know it all, you haven’t been listening.

• Know how to listen, and you will profit even from those who talk badly.

• Well-timed silence has more eloquence than speech.

• Listening is a magnetic and strange thing, a creative force. The friends who listen to us are the ones we move toward, and we want to sit in their radius. When we are listened to, it creates us, makes us unfold and expand.

• A friend is a person who listens attentively while you say nothing.

• Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak. Courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.

• A conference room is a place where everybody talks, nobody listens, and everyone disagrees afterwards.

• God speaks to those who have time to listen.

Can you hear me now?
Rickey Moore