While
he was still speaking, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and behold, a voice
out of the cloud said, "This is My beloved Son, with whom I am
well-pleased; listen to Him!" Matthew 17:5
God the Father spoke from Heaven—imagine how the people there on the banks of the River Jordan must have felt to hear a booming voice from sky above declaring Jesus to be His Son? I’m sure God the Father had their total attention—no doubt they were listening. We just had a great summer evening storm complete with thunder and lightning last night—and that got our attention. Envision the real voice of God thundering!
Can you
become a better listener? Listen as you read God’s word. Look for verses that
pop out and that you recall. Listen as you pray. Ask the Spirit how He’d like
you to pray. Then just be quiet—be quiet before the Lord for two or three
minutes. Pay attention to what you hear in scripture, visualize what is
happening and sense the feelings of those about whom the scripture is written.
Listen as you talk. After you speak—listen to God.
Training Tip – Work again on teaching your children to listen.
Listening is such an important skill. On February 7th and April 21st
learning styles were discussed in this blog—but it is important enough to
repeat again. There are four basic learning styles and thus groups of learners,
plus a group of combination learners:
·
Visual or
Spatial learners – learn by seeing. Best taught by flash cards, board games,
and picture association like drawing pictures of story heard.
·
Auditory
learners – learn just by listening. These students excel at oral
lessons.
·
Touch and
Feel or Tactile and Kinetic learners – need to integrate physical movement and
activity into learning, like spelling out letters with arms or acting out
stories.
·
Logical
learners – learn by analyzing information. These students use
word puzzles, problem solving exercises, synopsis writing and abstract
questioning.
·
Combination
learners – learn by using multiple learning methods. Such students may need to
see and hear as well as touch to learn information. Many children use a
combination of learning styles.
Find your
child’s learning style and help them grow in wisdom and understanding by
teaching them according to their unique style. Encourage them to become good
listeners, training them to focus on hearing you and your spouse, as well as
their teachers and sports coaches. If listening is not their learning style
then work with them to develop that skill by creating listening games and
rewarding them (even just hugs and “well done”) when they listen closely to
your instructions. Catch them in listening in everyday activities and praise
them for being attentive. Pray for your children—that they would listen and
learn.
Lord Jesus, please give me wisdom and understanding
that I would be a better listener—and help me to listen to my children,
teaching them to grow to be more like You.
All
scripture quoted from the New American Standard Bible (NASB) unless otherwise
noted.
© 2013 by Mickey
M. Hunacek. All rights reserved.
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