What’s Open?

June 20, 2018

If you want to be surprised, instead of talking, just shut up and listen to people. I know...that’s easier said than done. Many of us are simply wired to talk. I have a friend whose stream of words is so constant, I sometimes wonder when he breathes. Others have to be prodded and cajoled to even open their mouths. Most are somewhere in between, and if we only listen, they often reveal beauty and courage that are unseen on the surface. 

Just this day alone, I’ve interacted with a woman whose tender heart is in agony over the plight of the children caught in our national border debacle. No matter where you stand on the issues politically, there is little doubt that a tragedy is playing out before our eyes. This woman is genuinely troubled by it all, agonizing over something about which she can do very little. 

I prayed with some pastors this morning whose backgrounds and approach to ministry are very different than my own. Listening to their stories and hearing their heart for addicts, the homeless, society’s misfits, I am humbled by their patient persistence as they wade into the lives of desperate people, picking up the pieces of shattered lives over and over again. 

I met with a “newbie” pastor who is working hard to fit into his calling. He doesn’t even always see how his faithfulness as a layman, as a son, husband, and father have shaped and prepared him for the life to which he has been called.

This evening, I sat with some faithful church members who have weathered storms that would have sunk lesser vessels. They are excited about the opportunities and possibilities for ministry that are opening up before them. It is fun to listen as they report almost with surprise what God has been doing through them.

Another woman who years ago heard God’s call in her life shared what that has meant in the past, and how it is shaping her life in the present. Just looking at her, you wouldn’t necessarily guess what a dynamo she is for Jesus. I described her as fearless in her faith. She corrected me. She isn’t fearless; she is courageous. 

The day ended after 10:30, coming home to my ever-patient wife, who instead of greeting me with “Where in the world have you been?!!” merely asked about my day. With each of these people, taking the time to just listen to what God is doing in them, how he is shaping their hearts, is an education in humility and grace. God often chooses the most unlikely people, simply so he can showcase his goodness and power. I’ve had the opportunity to see it at work in dozens of people, in dozens of ways. I am thankful for each of them, and for God having opened my eyes more than my mouth today. Open eyes get me in a lot less trouble than an open mouth.