As promised! Does anyone listen anymore? That is what bothered the authoress Taylor Caldwell as she tells the story of an elderly man, John Godfrey who believed that many a person could sort out his problems if only he could talk to someone who would listen to him, patiently and sympathetically. He said sadly: “One of the most terrible aspects of the world today is that nobody listens to anybody else.” Out of that concern he provided the money to erect and endow a beautiful building where any person could come and talk as long as he liked to a man who had time to listen. Nobody knew the man’s identity. He remained concealed himself behind curtains, in a room so quiet and peaceful that it put the visitor immediately at ease and encouraged him to talk freely what was on his mind and confide what he would never confide to anyone else. Some said there was no one behind the curtains. They could find out by pressing a button and causing the curtain to open, though strangely enough no one wanted to face the “Listener” until he was psychologically ready. One by one they came, a procession of troubled souls of all ages and from all walks of life, each unburdening himself to the “Man who listens”. The amazing thing was although perhaps not all that amazing, the longer the person talked the more clearly and honestly he saw his own situation and the means of dealing with it. At last, when speech was spent and the emotion of relief joy or shame or bitterness of anger had reached its height, the visitor pressed the button. Before him was a figure of Christ on the cross. A Christ whose compassionate eyes looked into his very soul as though to say: “Yes my child, I suffered what you have suffered; I understand”. In Christ we find the true example of the Man who listens. And the point is if we claim to be his followers one of the characteristic of our lives should be that we are those who will listen to the worries and troubles of others. As Zeno once said: “We have two ears and one mouth that we may listen the more and talk the less.” So let us learn to listen; listen to others and above all to listen to God for he does surely listen to us.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Jun 2013 15:11:38 +0000
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