Open your ears

13 October 2011

Genesis 18:10 The LORD said, "I will surely return to you in the spring, and Sarah your wife shall have a son." And Sarah was listening at the tent door behind him.

What makes the difference between those that succeed and those that do not, the first is the definition of success. What is success to one person may not be success to another. So often we determine our success by comparison, rather than introspection. We are successful when we do what we believe to be what we should do well. So to be successful we need to know what we should do and to be able to do it well.

So today what is it that you should do and will you be able to do it well? Many of us do not actually know what it is that we should be doing, so we do what we think we should do, and then do it because we have to and not because we want to and we end up just getting the job done. Most often the problem is poor communication, we do not listen, we hear but do not comprehend, and we respond to what we think we hear. Successful people listen, they listened to their parents, they listened to their teachers and they have learnt the art of listening to what the need is, when the do what is needed they will be successful. Doing something because you think it is needed without confirming the need is a bit silly and will not lead to success.

Sarah was not just hearing the voices, she was listening to what was being said and she understood what it implied for her. Hearing words does not mean that understand them, listening does.

Be encouraged today to do what you should do and do it well.

David

Point to ponder: Successful people listen.  

  

Question to consider: Do you actually listen and understand?