Just Keep Listening!

I was recently listening to a woman give her testimony.  I had never heard it before, so I sat attentively listening to every word. Many times a person’s testimony will give you greater insight into the price paid for their anointing or even help you understand the passion behind their purpose.  Only problem was, within the first three minutes of her testimony, she lost me.  She didn’t lose me because I was in judgment of her, or because I was not understanding what she said, She lost me because it began to sound like one of the worst trials of my life to date.  Everything she said cut me like a knife and I could feel tears burning at the rim of my eyes.  I began breathing deeply to maintain my oxygen levels, something I had not had to do since we buried my mother.   Fidgeting in my seat, I told myself, maybe this was a good time to visit the bathroom or maybe tip out for the evening.  It was almost too much. But I could hear my spirit softly saying:   "Just keep listening."

Reluctantly, I obeyed and kept listening.  Within three more minutes, I was overwhelmed by God’s amazing grace. I was reminded of the way He takes the brokenness of our lives and turns things around for our good and His glory.  I was not only blessed by her candid testimony, but I was also changed in how I listen.  I realize that her testimony- though not pretty at all- has made her who she is today.  It has molded her into a strong, vibrant, anointed woman!  All I had to do to understand and benefit from her testimony was to Keep Listening. 

Today I would like to encourage you to do the same.

Keep listening to your Children- Sometimes our kids can talk about everything and anything. I know mine can!   It is easy to nod our heads and give an occasional grunt to make them think we hear them.  But these conversations you allow them to have will train your ear to hear when they are hurting.  It will train them to know they can trust you when they have life altering questions or decisions to make.  No matter how much it seems like it is just chatter, as they grow up they will realize they have always had a listening ear- yours! So even when you don't like what you hear, … Just Keep Listening.

Keep Listening to Your Spouse- The funny thing about being in a relationship is that after a while we can get very familiar with them.  Soon you can guess what they are thinking, you may be able to finish their sentences or may even just make decisions without their knowledge- knowing they will not be concerned.  But people change!  Ask anyone who has been married for a length of time.  You have to be able to change with them, at least acknowledge the change.  If you can't do that, you may find yourself living with a stranger that you were once very intimate with.  Listening as a couple requires talking as a couple.  You can’t hear what is not being said, but when it is said even past the immediate conversation… Keep listening.

Keep listening to God!  Have you ever prayed for something thinking God was going to answer you quickly? It can be rather discouraging, especially if you had a self-made deadline for Him to keep! Well as difficult as it may seem, God does not always answer us the way we think He should.  Many times He just wants our attention, He wants us to acknowledge Him in all our ways, not just the one thing that we want from Him.   He wants our attention on Him and His desire and purpose for us.  He basically wants us in a vibrant relationship with HIM!    If you are still trying to get God to answer you quickly, He may not… but don’t give up, keep talking to Him, continue trusting Him and by all means…..  Just Keep Listening!   

Broken Pieces

The glass set had been in our family for years!  Not sure how many, but I remember seeing it when we were very young. Don’t know even where it came from, but it along with other priceless pieces were not uncovered until my parent’s death.  While cleaning the house for the last time, we discovered so many interesting pieces that our parents collected during their travels over the years.  Among those pieces was that glass set. The top of each glass was lined with gold and the body of each were decorated with gold leaf. The set included two distinct rounded vase drinking glasses, and two equally distinctive water glasses, a pitcher and a glass tea diffuser with the same look.  While distributing our parent’s estate, I was now the proud owner of the Gold Leaf Set!  I took extra care packing and unpacking these memorable treasures.  Each piece found a home in my kitchen under my watchful eye.....until that day.

I was reaching for a crystal bowl when it happened.  Still not sure what I did, but before I knew it, the delicate pitcher fell and broke into pieces.  My heart sank. I immediately thought of my mom and my dad (DJ) who was in charge of moving her delicate pieces because of the extra care he always gave them.  Although he was a tall, robust man, for over 40 years he handled her much like he handled her precious pieces… with thought and care.  

Now after only 2 years in my care, I am sitting on the floor looking at Broken Pieces.

Have you ever been there in your life?  You take special care of things that mean a lot to you just to find in a moment it is gone?  What could you have done differently?  What did you miss?  Maybe you should not have been trusted with it in the first place.  Or maybe someone else should not have been trusted with you?  After all, you may be the one broken.

This is the Super Spiritual Answer I got moments after by break.  “Clean it up.”

Yes, that was it….See we have a choice in how we deal with Broken Pieces.

We can sit in the midst of the broken pieces and cry, realizing what we have lost.

We can call those who know the value of the piece lost and allow them to cry with us. 

We can invite others over for a visit so we can show them the pieces for themselves

We can hold conversations with people trying to explaining how it happened and was not our intent.

We can hold someone else responsible for not helping us avoid the break.

We can try to convince ourselves that with a little glue, we can put the pieces back together again.

We can even make ourselves feel guilty because we figure the brokenness is our fault.

Or …….we can clean it up.

Cleaning it up means you are completely aware that it is gone, broken, lost. You will not be using that vase again. It means you area aware of others who may come your way and be hurt by your broken pieces. Taking time to clean it up and take care for the sake of others is key.  In the midst of cleaning it up, you make peace with the pieces. The large pieces are easy to find, but the small ones often hide, sometimes scattered way beyond the breaking point.  That is when we realize I can’t just pick them up…. I need tools to ensure I have gotten every piece that can continue to hurt me or others around me.

The day I broke the vase, I sat for a moment….in shock that all my care still resulted in brokenness.   But just for a moment.  I got up, reached for the dust pan first placing all the large pieces it and put them in a small trash bag. Then I swept up all pieces I could see far and near- watching carefully for that ‘stray’ that always seems to get away.  After placing all of those in the bag, I got a large wad of paper towels, wet them and wiped the area for those extra small pieces that the broom would often miss. It was funny how good I felt after cleaning up the pieces so thoroughly.  No concerns that my kids would not be able to walk in the kitchen without their shoes. 

I had dealt well with the Broken Pieces.

Conclusion:

Our lives are so much more valuable than glass.  Our relationships with one another are ordained by God and so much more valuable than gold.  If you find yourself in the midst of brokenness, know that God has held you at a much more valuable place in His heart.  He will pull alongside of you as you work at picking up the pieces. God will give you people for your life and tools to help. His word is a huge tool that can walk us through the process of forgiving, admitting and looking forward.  His people are there to soothe the hard days and encourage us in our purpose.  His Holy Spirit will finally sweep over your soul to make you ready and prepared to continue touching and ministering to His people, without the concern of unintentionally hurting them with your brokenness.  Allow God to give you peace with the pieces.  Know that there is more to you that can be used for His glory and He is not finished with you yet.  And since He is Creator, we know He is also the Potter.  By putting yourself daily in His hands, you allow the Potter to put you back together again, for His glory and your good! -Without the Broken Pieces!