Listen Up

Proverbs 23:12  “Apply your heart to instruction and your ears to words of knowledge.”

                A verse like this one can find itself useful in so many situations no matter who you are.  It’s a universal truth that listening and learning can be highly beneficial whether it’s listening to that professor whose voice could stand to be a little less monotone or trying your best to understand where someone is coming from when you find yourself in conflict with them.

                For me, I often have found myself not listening to advice or accepting instruction when the person speaking could help me because I’m very independent in nature and there’s always a piece of me that thinks I can do something on my own even when it’s very obvious that I can’t.  Now that I’ve graduated college I find that I am much more open to learning from other people and listening to them because it’s a necessity.  I’ve never had a “big kid job” as I’ve been referring to anything that isn’t in a fast food restaurant or pays more than minimum wage.  I’ve never had to have interviews with higher stakes than, “Can you put pepperoni on a pizza?”  I’ve never applied somewhere that my resume is more than just a formality.  I have no real experience in the world of serious careers but that doesn’t mean other people don’t.   I’m finding that googling advice from experts, talking to people in the fields I want to go into, and even just talking to people in pretty much the same spot as me has really helped me figure out how to make my way towards my goals.

                In the same way, listening to God, listening to Jesus, and even just have real and open conversations with other Christians can help us make our way to spiritual goals.  I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve often had my doubts.  I’ve never been able to sit back and just not question something and my faith is no different.  That doesn’t mean that I can’t find answers to my questions though.  If you sit sound down and really listen and intentionally search with an open soul, your chances of hearing something that you needed to are greatly improved.