- TWO EARS, ONE MOUTH 2. AM I LISTENING?
Listen — he who has ears to hear, let him hear.
It pays dividends to listen well when spoken to.
It takes courage to befriend another, who needs your listening ear rather than your speech.
Brother James taught; “Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to anger.”
Do not merely listen, but take action. In the doing, you will be blessed.
Do not tell someone to get over it — help them get through it.
An old saying comes to mind: we have two ears and one mouth.
I remember this as I shape these lines about listening before speaking.
The prophet Isaiah said, “Listen well, O royal house of David.”
- AM I LISTENING?
Another year has begun, my mind is full of self-preservation.
Yet to listen well is to actually — to hear,
what my brother, my sister, is asking: to meet them with attention and eye.
Saint Francis, as I have read and learned, knew how to praise and pray
— singing with creatures and creation, the quiet, open glories of our Creator God.
His listening was with mind and spirit, alive to the near presence of our Father.
David of Scripture learned that adoration is the ground of songs of praise.
He, too, had ears to hear the soft breath of God’s Spirit;
the harmony of mortal and immortal set into song.
He who has ears, let him hear.
Life, for me, is more than food, work and rest.
It is learning humility in action: to bow my being, to bend my breath,
In other words: pay attention — hear me.
And again, he said, “Listen, O house of Jacob.”
Oh, that you had listened, there would have been no need to cut off your family line.
Jesus called to the crowd, “Listen and try to understand.
It is not what enters the mouth that defiles a person,
but what comes out — what is spoken from the heart.”
In their own eyes, the way of a fool is right, but the wise listen to advice.
To listen well, become curious; maintain eye contact, give focused attention.
Go beyond the words you hear — body language, tone, silence.
We feel loved by those who take time to hear our story and ask gentle questions.
When you take time to listen to a person, you give them, and yourself, a gift.
before Him who breathed life into my soul.
Godly listening is a clearing — fear loosening into trust, closed places opening;
to the patience of the Holy, unseen Father who blesses the weak and frail.
Through obedience, doubts are unbound; wrestling the restless
“what if” questions until the heart can say: “Yes — I will taste and see how good the LORD is.”
I came without invitation. I have lived another year. I have been carried through the night.
So, with praise and worship, I offer thanks to the Keeper of my soul.
“Am I listening?” will be my calling phrase this year — 2026.
As the young lad Samuel replied; “Speak, your servant is listening.”
Now that you have made me listen, I finally understand— Wisdom is shown to be right by its fruit.
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Inspiration; Word for Today December 4th, 2025,
Be a Better Listener.
Finding the word ‘listen’ is important in scripture since reading this piece.
© stephen c douglas kiwi.poet; January 15th, 2026