Find A Balance....Listening Is As Important As Teaching

Exodus 18:17-19 -  So Moses’ father-in-law said to him, “The thing that you do is not good. Both you and these people who are with you will surely wear yourselves out. For this thing is too much for you; you are not able to perform it by yourself.  Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God.

The Israelites journey toward Canaan brought them near to Moses second home.  Jethro met him and brought his wife and sons to reunite with him. They had a grand time fellowshipping and catching up on all that God had done in Moses life and the people he had been called to lead. The next day ..Jethro got to see firsthand how overloaded Moses was with daily counsel and judging the people’s disputes.  God used him to give Moses a plan to select other godly men from among them to help with this task.

My heart saw instantly how very humble this man Moses was. As powerful as God had taught him to be…he did not assume his power was a substitute for the wisdom of other godly people in his life. He used the discernment that God gave him to listen and act on this great advice immediately.  He saw the benefits of training and teaching others to be leaders too.

It is great reminder that just because I have retired…or reached a certain age…or obtained a certain high degree of knowledge … I simply don’t know everything there is to know.  I should always be ready and willing to listen to the godly advice of others. It is also a reminder that God might just use me to pass on a tidbit or two to others. We must find a balance in our mind….of being confident of what we know so we can teach it to others…yet have a godly discernment constantly in place to know when someone else is wiser than ourselves.

I have been guilty of taking way too much most of my life. I am learning to listen better...even though it is hard to break old habits.  God has much to teach me about this skill…and how to find a balance. I am so thankful for the many godly people he has placed in my life…from family to close friends.  They have all been patient with me as God continues to show me that my listening skills are just a bit more important than my ability to verbalize a thought.

Father…thank you for the reminder that listening is a very important skill.  Forgive me for making you work so hard to instill this thought into my heart.  Thank you for not giving up on me and continuing to send me training sessions so I can learn to get this right. Help me to recognize when it is better to be silent and listen...and when it is time for me to share something you have taught me.  Amen.