by Kelly Knowlden
This is the “Year of the Ear.” We are using the Proverbs to talk about listening. The first nine chapters either refer to or imply “Listen, my son…” and then talk about what to listen to and the benefits of hearing instruction.
One of the things that I have been struck by is the implication that the father who is speaking believes that listening is important and wants to do that himself. Here is what I mean. Parents that are interested in hearing what others (not just children) have to say, are more likely to be genuinely interested in hearing what their children have to say. Asking questions, listening to their stories, enjoying their ideas all reflect a desire to know what they are thinking. This in turn, fosters a desire to hear. So when dad says, “listen, my son,” he has gained their ear because he has modeled it himself.
Two cautions: in our busyness, it is hard work to listen. We have things that we must communicate or we must get done, or we feel pressured by. So hearing a child’s story of his big toe hurting, or a middle school daughter’s lament over not having any friends or a high school student’s concerns over how they look is often heard “under pressure.” Then the hard work of sitting down and listening to them comes into play. The other caution is to remember that we while we listen with “our ears wide open” yet
we realize that they are immature in their thinking and listen within that framework. Let’s encourage our children to listen by being listeners.
