God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason.
And we all know that everything God does, he does for a good reason. His reasons are all wise. I'm for wise and good, so I need to pay attention. I need to remember how I'm made. I need to listen twice as much as I talk.
The power and wisdom behind these words is striking a deeper chord the longer I am the parent of teenagers. What a crazy time of life the teens are. So much growth going on - physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually. A lot of energy is being expended figuring out who they are, what they really think, and what they want to do in this life. When my kids have come to me with the issue du jour, most of the time they just need to talk. They just need for someone that they are 100% sure loves them, to listen to them. More often than not, a sincere "oh, wow," or "I'm sorry," is all I should say. They know I've heard and I care.
My problem has been that I want to completely solve their problem right then and there. Or, I want to change their attitude right then and there. It would help so much! To do that, I need to talk! To them! Right then! (Not!) In reality, because I've been down the road a little farther, I probably do have some information or insight that would help them. But because they have so much that needs to come out before anything new can possibly go in, I need to remember that I have two ears and one mouth. That I am to do twice as much listening as talking. Then maybe, at another time, we could have another conversation that is a little more give and take. But even then, I need to remember how I'm made - and that I'm made that way for a reason.
You know this makes me think about the docudramas that we see on television about troubled teens and the first sentence out of their mouths as to why they did not get along with their parents or why they could not talk to their parents is because their parents, "Never listened." I think you are spot on with this post. Becuase we as a parents want to solve things immediately instead of allowing our children the opportunity to solve the situation for themselves and step in whenwe see that they really need our help. Great post.
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