February 24: Listening with Love

 

Deneisha Campbell-Davy

Family Life Director

Kings SDA

Key Text: “My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to

listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19

When I became the women’s ministry leader for my church, I recognise that it was a

huge responsibility. One which I will forever hold dear to my heart. With God’s help,

I had to learn how to really listen. Listen without judgment, listen just to be an ear and

listen just to show that I care.

In a world filled with noise, opinions, and constant reactions, God calls us to

something different, listening with love. This kind of listening is not passive silence.

It is active, intentional, and deeply compassionate. It reflects the very heart of Christ.

To be “quick to listen” means more than waiting for our turn to speak. It means

leaning in with humility. It means setting aside our need to be right, to fix, or to

respond immediately. Loving listening says, You matter. Your words matter. Your

heart matters.

“Slow to speak” reminds us that wisdom often grows in a quiet soil. When we rush to

speak, we can misunderstand, wound, or overshadow someone else’s pain. But when

we pause, we create space for understanding. We allow the Holy Spirit to guide our

responses instead of our emotions guiding our reactions.

And being “slow to become angry” protects unity. Anger often rises when we feel

unheard or misunderstood. Yet when we listen with love, we soften the ground where

anger tries to take root. We begin to see not an opponent, but a person made in God’s

image.

Jesus modeled this perfectly. He listened to the cries of the hurting, the questions of

the confused, and even the doubts of His disciples. He did not interrupt their fears; He

met them with compassion. His listening was an expression of divine love.

Today, consider how you can practice listening with love:

Listen to understand, not to reply.

Pause before responding.

Pray silently while someone else is speaking.

Ask God to help you hear what is beneath the words.

When we listen with love, we reflect Christ. We build bridges instead of walls. We

become instruments of peace in conversations that might otherwise become

battlefields.

Prayer

Dear God, please give us hearts that are attentive, tongues that are restrained, and

spirits that are gentle. May our listening become a testimony of Your will, may we

listen with the intention to heal and restore those who are broken and help us to

respond with wonderful words of life. Amen.