Ever have an impasse in communicating? Ever find yourself totally incoherent to the public at large? If you're anything like me, you may wonder if your problem is due to all the time you've been spending with children. Perhaps your vocabulary skills have taken a beating, turned your mind into mush, and your conversations into gibberish. Needless to say, communication is an art. With folks who do not want to hear, no amount of paint will a portrait make. Etchings, maybe--but not a complete picture of two individuals' seeking to talk to one another, instead of pass one another.
Today, I stumbled upon a quote I archived months ago. I think it may be a part of the reason for an impasse--especially if the object or your imperfection is a close friend and their typical abruptly takes on characteristics that are untypical in your relationship. Tell ya what, read Cyle's quote; and I'll meet you at its end.
"I listen more, but hear less from people. The reason I hear less from them is because I’m intentionally trying to hear more from God. I find that God speaks to me through many people, people who have many different lines drawn in the sand. I listen to them, but all the time I’m listening for God. He’s the only one who can clarify the lines. So, I spend more and more time trying to understand His Word. I spend more and more time trying to hear Him, not just to listen to Him or them." Cyle Clayton
So here's my take on times I find myself fruitless to communicate my thoughts to someone I count dear and precious. They are like my friend Cyle from Louisiana. They are seeking a higher plain on which to dwell. They are going where I cannot. They are resting by waters I cannot still. They are feasting at a table I cannot set. They are more interested in what God has to say to them than what I have to say. And that, my friends, is a good thing. In fact, it is a communication breakthrough. Don't you think?
When we give another Christian brother or sister the benefit of the doubt, we draw closer and closer to the heart of God. If we can't, can there be integrity, at all? anywhere? with anyone? Can loyalty be owned, or trust increased, when one or both give up, or gather fan clubs for support? I don't know. I'm just asking. And who am I to say? selahV
