Read: Job 13:1-9
Oh, that you would be silent, and it would be your wisdom! —Job 13:5
Bible In One Year: Deuteronomy 32-34; Mark 15:26-47
It is about 9 in the evening. My wife Ginny and I are sitting in our living room. I'm reading a book. Suddenly she says, "Honey, I want to talk with you for a few minutes." She begins to talk—then she abruptly asks, "Are you listening?"
I'm tempted to reply, "Of course I am. I'm only 2 feet away from you." But actually my mind is still on what I'm reading. I need to close the book and give my full attention to what Ginny is saying. She deserves that from me.
Job too was frustrated because his friends weren't paying attention to what he was saying to them. He sensed that while he was talking they were planning their next response. They were bent on trying to convince him that his suffering was punishment for sin in his life. They were not listening to the deep cry of Job's heart.
Many of us are poor listeners too. Teenagers can be frustrated because their parents always have a quick answer, when actually they just want someone to listen to their struggles and accept them. One teen said, "Sometimes I would just like to talk until I know what I want to say."
Deep relationships are built on acceptance, understanding, and being a good listener. —Herb Vander Lugt
Kerry says, with him, you'll have a job -- just keep an eye on your office window for 767s. (Clinton says he created millions of jobs. Problem is, al-Qaeda got most of 'em). Bush says, with him, you get the job, but having a job means little if you end up blown up at work. (That can ruin your whole day).
Zapatero is offering exploding career opportunities in mass transit, the hottest jobs being with Spain's rail system. If transportation is not your forte, Zapatero says not to worry, soon positions will skyrocket in open-air concept hotels, flaming sidewalk cafes, and the profits in used car sales are simply incendiary. Spain's new leader ensures the economy, and everything else within the country's borders, will be in flames on fire. Promises by Zapatero, who's name means "way of the shoe" as in "don't get in the way of my shoe as I flee to the nearest sand pit to bury my head", are almost bankable guarantees with al-Queda minions watching his interrment with baited breath.