Robert and I had a conversation recently. OK, OK…just a few of hours ago.
We were both tired. It was the end of a long day.
Our conversation wasn’t anything out of the ordinary. No stress. No big decisions to be made.
But suddenly, without warning, there it was:
miscommunication.
Totally unexpected. It had the potential to end our day on a sour note.
And I was faced with a choice: talk my way out of it or listen.
With my heart.
When I stopped listening simply to the words Robert was saying and began listening to what his heart was saying to mine and to what the Holy Spirit was instructing me to do, suddenly the answer was crystal clear.
The Holy Spirit enabled me to do what Paul said in Romans 12:18:
If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone.
And my answer was a response, not a reaction.
That Holy Spirit-inspired response was just what Robert’s heart needed.
And suddenly, without warning, it was over.
Miscommunication resolved.
Peace. Harmony. Victory.
I believe it was the fulfillment of this passage in 1 Peter 5:8-9:
Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings.
Our lives are filled with these moments. Are we listening with our hearts? Are we self-controlled and alert?
If not, we’re going to be chewed up and spit out…devoured.
But God has a better plan: He wants to restore us, make us strong, firm, and steadfast…His grace for us. (I Peter 5:10)
Listen. With your heart. And then share your victory with us here…so we can rejoice with you, dear friends.
Praying for all of us,
Rebecca
