It is one of the things that all of us have – an opinion. Some of us are much more vocal about our opinion than others. Some share their opinion without being asked. Some opinions are welcomed while others are greeted with the ultimate eye roll and exhausted exhale sound. We believe our opinions are right – otherwise we would change them. It is not a problem to have an opinion. This only becomes a problem when we mistake our opinions for the gospel. When we start believing that we have the answer and that our answer is the only valid one, there is a problem.
When this happens, we stop listening. We stop learning. We stop growing. When we have all the answers and our opinions become the authority, we lose. If we are honest, there are a lot of people losing right now. When we are encountered with differing opinions, we have an option. We can drown out the other ideas with our view. Or we can take a moment and truly listen. It isn’t so that we can change our opinion that we listen. We listen because other people’s opinions hold value. We learn when we listen. We become better people. We become more like Christ when we allow others to share and we actually value them enough to listen.
Maybe today, we put our opinions aside and simply listen. Maybe we can stop deciding we are always right and spend time hearing the views of others. It is not to change our minds, but to open our hearts. If we listen carefully, we might hear something from the Lord. And his opinion is definitely worth hearing.
Focus Scripture:
Matthew 11:15
15 Let anyone with ears listen!
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SEEING THE EXTRAORDINARY 