May 27, 2026

How well do you listen?

Last week I was at the North Alabama Conference offices for a one-day retreat for pastors moving to new churches. One of the most important things we learned to do when moving to a new church (and in my case an “old” church) was to listen.

I was thinking this morning that listening is important no matter if we are moving or not. And we all need to be better at listening. Yet, how many times do we find ourselves in conversation with someone and we are thinking about how we want to respond, or a story we can share, or something else we need to say? Maybe we have tuned out altogether and are thinking about what other things happening in our lives. We aren’t really listening. Sure, we are nodding or looking them in the eye but we are not paying any attention to what is coming out of their mouths.

We can miss out on someone sharing a vulnerability. We can overlook a need to be hugged or a personal win that should be celebrated. We might miss an opportunity to share that God loves them. We also can really miss finding out more, digging deeper, being curious. Perhaps we would recognize an insight that we need to hear for our own development and growth.

And if we can’t listen to one another, how are we to listen to God? God is always with us and always wanting us to listen. We don’t do it often. We spend most of our time giving God a list of needs, wants and requests. Sometimes we give God thanks or praise. In either case, we are doing all the talking.

How do you listen to God? The best thing is to remove yourself from other distractions. Put down your phone and/or turn it on silent. Turn off all other screens. If you need to, just go sit in your car. Or your boat. If you can’t stand the silence at home, go somewhere in nature where you won’t be disturbed by others but where you can be aware of creation. Open your bible and read. Ask God to speak to you. Meditate. Listen.

You don’t have to spend hours - even a few minutes can be effective. Sometimes you come away thinking: Did God say anything to me? I guarantee that something will happen within a day that will make you realize that God is speaking to you. It might be a word spoken by someone else, an activity that you weren’t expecting or an insight you have at some point.

God wants you to tell you something. Won’t you listen?

Blessings on your Week

Amelia