You’ve heard the saying, “Talking is sharing. Listening is caring,” haven’t you? I saw it on a sign in front of a church a couple of years ago, and it caught my eye. In the last few weeks, I’ve seen it again several times. I’m not sure who first said it, but it really is true.

In one of the devotionals that I sent out to my subscriber list I wrote about a rough time in my life that I was going through and how God’s Word had been a great comfort to me. When I wrote that devotional I had no idea that I would get such a warm response from readers. I had calls from friends and emails from readers that I don’t even know personally. Many of them told me that they were there for me if I wanted to talk to someone.

Just knowing that they took the time to email or call, and that they cared how I was doing, really meant a lot to me. By doing that I knew that my friends and readers had truly listened to the message of my devotional, and they cared enough to show it.

The world we live in is always hectic and busy, and it’s easy for us to have trouble listening to others. We tend to get distracted by what is going on and by the concerns in our own lives and we don’t stop to think about how we can help others just by listening. Most of us our guilty of this, but it is something that we can work on.

When you listen to someone else it shows that you care and that you value them. You show that you care enough to give them your time and attention, and that can mean a lot. Listening helps to build stronger, deeper relationships, and it brings two people closer together. By listening to others we can show them God’s love.

Throughout the Gospels, we see the Lord Jesus listening to people and their needs. In John 3, Jesus listened to Nicodemus, a prominent and righteous, Jewish leader who questioned Him about His teachings and His miracles.

Not too long after speaking with Nicodemus, we read of a well known story where Jesus talked and listened to a sinful woman while she was getting water from a well. This woman would not have been considered worthy for most of the leaders of that day to pay her any attention, but Jesus did. He wasn’t concerned with things like wealth, status, gender, He was there for people that needed Him. This gives us a terrific model that we should be following.

Thank you, dear friends, for your care and concern. I want to let you know that my unpleasant event was resolved as well as it could be, and there has been reconciliation. Thanks for caring! Thanks for listening!

Lord, thank You for giving me amazing friends and family that care about me. Thank You for using them to show Your love. Help me to be as willing to listen to others as they have been willing to listen to me.

Ann Shorb is a counselor and the founder of Christian Counseling and Educational Services in Hanover, PA. They provide a variety of services including pre-marital counseling, christian marriage counseling, family counseling and much more.