“She (Martha) had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. … Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her” Luke 10:39, 42 (NIV).

Mary chose what was best by stopping what she was doing and eliminating distractions that might cause her to miss what Jesus was teaching.  She didn’t busy herself with trying to “do” or “say” something, instead she sat, listened, and learned.

Being “quick to listen” takes patience and practice in all of our relationships.  Many times while a person is in the middle of talking, we rush to formulate an opinion, ask another question too quickly or segue into another topic without finishing the current one.  In our relationship with the Lord, it’s much easier to do all the talking rather than listening for his still small voice.

Genesis 19 tells us of how Lot warned his daughter’s fiancés about the destruction of the city, but they “thought he was only joking” (19:14).  The angels led Lot, his wife and two daughters outside of the city before they destroyed it and warned “Don’t look back! ... or you will die.” (19:17), but Lot’s wife looked back and became a pillar of salt.

How often do we hear something, but fail to believe or learn it?  The path to learning about each other is through understanding one another; to understand we need to communicate, and listening is a foundation of that communication.  Whether it’s listening to a family member, a friend, a spouse (or potential one), or the Lord himself, being “quick to listen” takes patience, practice and time.  It is an important building block to a healthy relationship.

Remembering

Do you ever meet someone that you met years ago and they greet you by your name and pick up where your last conversations left off?  Do you wonder how in the world they remembered?  I meet a lot of people during a typical day and need to remember many names and facts about them.  Sometimes I find it difficult to remember because I was distracted by what I was doing, I was passing judgment, or I was thinking about someone else.  In other words, I didn’t have “thoughtful attention” and I didn’t choose to listen.

In Nehemiah 9:16-17, those of Israelite descent said of their ancestors, “Our ancestors were a proud and stubborn lot, and they refused to obey your commands.  They refused to listen and did not remember the miracles you had done for them.”

Sometimes we get so wrapped up in ourselves and what we have to say that we don’t listen to another’s thoughts, opinions or ideas.  If we are looking for validation for our own thoughts, we will not be able to remember what the other person is saying.

Jesus had to constantly remind his disciples of things that He had told them earlier.