A Listening Ear

Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.

“I’m so overwhelmed,” I said through my tears to Julie as she listened over the phone. I’d just gotten back some medical results on my hormone levels and my thyroid, and although it was good to know areas that needed to be addressed, I was overcome with emotion.

“Why did I wait so long?” I asked. “So many of the symptoms the doctor mentioned I’ve had for years.”

“But you know now,” Julie answered. “What did she tell you to do?”

Julie affirmed me as I listed the medications and supplements that I’d need to take to begin the slow process of fixing systems in my body that hadn’t been working correctly for quite some time. As she listened and encouraged me, showing her understanding of what I was going through, I started to feel better. We hung up after she prayed for me.

Several hours later, I got a text from Julie. “I left a little package on your doorstep.”

Curious, I went to retrieve the pretty gift bag she’d left. When I opened it, I began to cry. Inside were each of the supplements I needed to take. I had no idea that as I shared the list with her, she was taking notes. Then she stopped at the pharmacy to pick up what she could, and left them at my door. Knowing a friend had been listening and had understood what I was feeling made me so grateful for her. The heaviness of what I was facing began to lift because of her thoughtful gift.

If we are going to share another’s burden, we will first have to take the time to really listen to them. We’ve got to slow down long enough to empathize with what they are saying and not just be waiting for our turn to speak again. When we listen well, it is powerful—not only for those we are listening to but also for us, since this is how we obey the law of Christ, the law to love others well.

Kendra

Today’s Act of Gratitude

Take time to really listen to someone and offer encouragement.